A Year Abroad
by FateChica
Summary: Crossover with "The Ronin Warriors"; the Sailor Scouts go to Toyama for school, they meet the guys, and romance ensues
1. Warning

Hello everybody! If you know my stories (of which there are few) then you know that one of my favorite things to write about is Sailor Moon/Ronin Warriors crossovers. One just doesn't see to many of those floating about on the net and I think that's a little funny seeing how there are so many parallels to be drawn between the two shows. Anyway, SM/RW crossovers are a big part of what I write, aside from Gundam Wing and Dragonball Z. So, anyway, the couples that I pair up in this story (with the exception of Ryo and Mia and Serena and Darien) are couples that are really subjective. Everyone who writes SM/RW crossovers has different ideas of who should end up with who. I put together who I think matches the best (i.e. Rowen and Ami because they are both smart, though there are many other reasons that would take too long to explain).   
  
So, that's just my warning because if you don't like the couples I've paired up together, tough shit. I'm not going to change it because someone doesn't like the way I've written. I'll take any criticism, but I won't change my beliefs about who I feel belongs with who. I've been writing stories with these set couples for over a year now and it's too late to change my mind, especially when my ideas are so deep set. I respect other couples that people create, but I have a way of looking at who should be together. So, that's just what I wanted to say before I let you, the audience, read my really long story (and if you think 23 chapters is long, just wait until I find the patience to post "The Universal Warriors"...7 books long with an average of 18 chapters each...my other SM/RW crossover...my baby). That's pretty much all that I have to say. So, I will detain you no longer. Happy readings! 


	2. A Year Abroad Chapter 1

"MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!"   
Rings of fire hurled themselves towards a droid with many heads and blue scaly skin. The droid dodged them easily and fired a light purple ball of energy. 17-year old Raye, otherwise known as Sailor Mars, groaned in annoyance as she ducked the attack.   
  
"We've tried everything and still, we can't beat this droid!" Sailor Mars yelled, extremely frustrated with the situation at hand.   
The leader, Sailor Moon, looked at Raye and said, "We have to keep trying. There's no knowing what this thing can do if we don't destroy it."   
  
Raye glanced at Serena, or Sailor Moon, in surprise. Over the last year, she had been taking her responsibility as leader of the Sailor Scouts more seriously, but Raye still wasn't used to the change in her yet.   
  
"The thing that puzzles me is that why are they after us here?" a confused girl in blue, more commonly known by her friends as Ami, or Sailor Mercury to very few, asked to the group.   
  
The 5 girls were in the city of Toyama for a national exchange program for their junior year and they were coming in on the 2nd week of school. Their hometown of Tokyo only across the country and they insisted on living in Toyama at a house that all of their relatives pitched in for. They had arrived on Saturday and set up their house.   
  
Now it was Sunday and they were taking a look around the city, trying to get familiar with the surroundings. The last thing that they were expecting was to be attacked by a droid when the Negaverse didn't even know that they were in Toyama. It was like they had a tracking device that sought out the Sailor Scouts.   
  
"Hey guys," a girl in orange said, "What about we combine our powers. We haven't tried that yet."   
  
"Hey, that's a good idea, Venus," a girl in green and pink said to Sailor Venus, or Mina.   
  
Mina smiled at Sailor Jupiter, aka Lita and said, "I thought so too."   
  
"That just might work," Ami said, calculating out the statistics on her mini-computer, "According to my calculations, it has an 85% chance of working. Those odds are good enough for me."  
  
"Me too," Raye said.  
  
"Ditto," said Serena.   
  
Raye took in a deep breath and yelled out, "MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND."  
  
"JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP," yelled Lita.  
  
"VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE," Mina shouted.  
  
"SHINE AQUA ILLUSION," Ami called out. The combined attacks hit the droid dead on, wounding it mortally.   
  
"MOON SCEPTER ELIMINATION!" Serena used the power of her scepter to deliver the killing blow to the droid.   
  
The 5 girls all slumped in exhaustion, but turned around when they heard people behind them. They turned around to find 5 guys around their age, a little older maybe, looking at them with amazement and wonder, but no fear, like most people held when around a droid. The girls wondered at that. It was like the guys were used to seeing stuff like this.   
  
"Excuse me, can we help you with something?" Raye asked the group of unfazed, yet confused, guys gently.   
  
One of the guys stepped forward a couple of steps and asked, "Who are you?"   
  
The one who had spoken had shoulder-length black hair and dark blue eyes. The look on his face, if anything, was accusing and defensive, as if he had seen hard times and lived to tell about them.   
  
Raye smiled at them, spread her arms out wide, and said, "We are the Sailor Scouts, champions of justice, righters of wrongs and defenders of the innocent."   
  
The rest of the girls shook their heads. Raye had always been one to make everything overly dramatic. Especially instances like this.   
  
Serena put her hands on Raye's arms and said, "Sailor Mars, I think it's time we were going," while leading her away.   
  
The rest of the girls followed and Raye said, "Goodbye, it was nice meeting you." The Scouts ducked behind an abandoned alley and detransformed.   
  
"Raye, do you always have to be so dramatic?" Lita asked as they walked out of the alley after transforming.  
  
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," Raye said indignantly.   
  
"But why at the moments when you shouldn't be melodramatic?" Mina said.  
  
"This was a good moment to do it. Those guys wanted an explanation and I gave them one. So I over-acted. It didn't do any harm," Raye said. She adjusted the purse strap on her shoulder and walked forward. Serena surveyed her surroundings and her eyes lit up when she saw a peddlers shop ahead.   
  
"Look, you guys, jewelry!" Serena sprinted ahead and the other girls gave exasperated sighs and followed. When they got to the peddlers stand a few seconds later, their attentions immediately fixed on the display of watches, rings, bracelets, and other fine pieces of jewelry.   
  
Mina and Serena settled down to look at the rings, Lita went to help Raye look for a bracelet, and Ami searched for a new watch. Little did they know, they were being watched...  
  
***  
The five Ronin Warriors walked down the streets of Toyama. But of course, no one knew that they were the Ronin Warriors. No one knew the Ronin Warriors even existed.   
  
Wherever they walked, people moved out of their way to let them pass. It wasn't that they wore mean and domineering looks on their faces. Actually, they looked quite happy. But the way that they carried themselves basically said that these were people not to be messed with. People moved around them as they passed, making the Ronin Warriors' way down the streets easy-going as they talked to each other.   
  
Eventually, the happy looks faded into bored looks as they found nothing to do.   
  
Ryo, the unofficial leader of the group, let out a deep sigh and said, "You guys, there's nothing to do."   
  
One of the guys standing next to him turned to him, his blue hair falling in his face, and said, "I bet we'll find something interesting sooner or later. I'm just happy that we have school tomorrow to get rid of the boredom."   
  
Rowen ran his hand through his blue hair, trying in vain to push away the stubborn lock of hair that always fell in his forehead. As soon as he moved it away, it fell in front of his forehead again. Rowen decided to give up and let it stay there.   
  
"We better find something interesting soon or I'll kill someone," Kento said, munching on a bag of chips. They suddenly noticed that the streets around them were empty and they heard fighting a couple of blocks away. Rushing towards the scene, they turned a corner to find five girls in Sailor outfits and short skirts fighting what looked like a monster.   
  
The guys were wondering what good 5 mortal girls could do to a monster like that, but when the one in the red skirt cried out, "MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND," and shot rings of fire towards the monster, the guys knew that these girls were for real.   
  
The monster, however, dodged the rings easily.   
  
"We tried everything and still, we can't beat this droid!" the girl in the red said.   
  
A girl in red, white and blue said, "We have to keep trying. There's no knowing what this thing can do if we don't destroy it."  
  
"The thing that puzzles me is that why are they after us here?" a girl in blue said.  
  
"Hey guys, what about we combine our powers. We haven't tried that yet," a girl in orange said.   
  
"Hey, that's a good idea, Venus," a girl in green said.  
  
"I thought so too," the orange girl said back.  
  
"That just might work," the blue girl said while typing something into what looked like a little computer. "According to my calculations, it has an 85% chance of working. Those odds are good enough for me."  
  
"Me too," the girl in red said.  
  
"Ditto," the red, white, and blue girl said.   
  
The one in red took in a deep breath and called out, "MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!"  
  
"JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!" the one in green yelled.  
  
"VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!" the orange one bellowed.  
  
"SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!" the blue one cried out.   
  
The 4 attacks combined and hit the monster hard. The thing grunted and fell back, holding its stomach in pain.   
  
The girl in red, white and blue pulled a scepter from out of nowhere and called out, "MOON SCEPTER ELIMINATION!" and light flew out of the scepter's tip and killed the monster. The girls slumped their shoulders and sighed in relief, but tensed up again when they heard the guys move behind them.   
  
They whipped around and the Ronin Warriors found themselves staring at the most beautiful girls they had ever seen.   
  
The one in the red said, "Excuse me, can we help you with something?"   
  
Ryo stepped forward and said, "Who are you?" getting nods from the other guys behind him.   
  
The red one spread her arms out wide and said, "We are the Sailor Scouts, champions of justice, righters of wrongs, and defenders of the innocent."   
  
The other girls shook their heads at the dramatic introduction and the girl in the red, white and blue said, "Sailor Mars, I think it's time we were going." Grabbing her arms, the girl in red, white and blue grabbed Sailor Mars by the arms and led her away with the others following.   
  
"Goodbye, it was nice meeting you," Sailor Mars said as she was led away.   
  
When they were out of sight, the Ronin Warriors looked at each other with shock registered on their faces.   
  
"Those were the Sailor Scouts?" Sage asked breathless. All five of them had heard of the legendary Sailor Scouts who fought evil in Tokyo and had always admired them.   
  
"Wow, they are beautiful girls in person," Cye said.  
  
"They're ok," Ryo said.   
  
Rowen looked at Ryo and deadpanned, "That's because you're going out with Mia." Ryo shrugged and smiled. Rowen had a point. To him, no one was more beautiful then his girlfriend, Mia Koji.   
  
He turned around and started walking the way they came, towards the more crowded streets and his friends followed. They turned a few corners and stopped when they saw another group of 5 beautiful girls looking a peddler's stand.   
  
One of the girls was holding up a bracelet, her deep violet eyes shining and the sunlight gleaming off her purple-streaked black hair. Another was a girl with her blonde hair in two ponytails, streaming from buns on the top of her head looking at rings with another blonde girl who could have been her twin except for the hair, which was pulled back halfway and held by a red bow. One had blue hair that came halfway down to her neck and she was closely inspecting a wristwatch. The other one was tall with auburn-brown hair in a ponytail, teasing the girl with the black hair about the bracelet she was holding. The girl with black hair elbowed her jokingly and laughed.   
  
"Serena, why are you looking at those rings when you already have one from Darien?" the girl with the blue hair called.   
  
Serena lifted her head and said, "I'm just looking, Ami. I'm not going to replace the one that Darien gave me." The dreamy look in Serena's eyes told the guys that this "Darien" character was at least her boyfriend.   
  
The other blonde girl poked Serena, saying, "Hey Serena, Earth to Serena. Come in."   
  
Serena looked at her and said, "What Mina?"  
  
"Nothing, just wanted to get you out of your daydream. Where were you, the Moon?" Mina asked Serena.  
  
"Yeah, I was," Serena said seriously.   
  
"Figures," Mina said. Serena only gave Mina a look.   
  
"Hey Raye, whatcha looking at?" Serena asked one of the other two girls.  
  
"I'm trying to decide which bracelet would go better with my outfit," the girl with the black hair said, indicating towards her outfit, which consisted of a red tank top and black mini-skirt. She held up the two bracelets for Serena to see and the girl with the brown hair said, "I think neither."  
  
"Shut up, Lita. I don't need your commentary," Raye said.  
  
"Ok, fine," Lita said as she brushed off an invisible piece of dust off from her shirt. She was wearing a yellow shirt that was cut off so her midriff showed and white Capri pants.   
Ami gave the vendor money and slipped a watch onto her wrist. The bluish tint of the metal matched nicely with her outfit. She was wearing a long-sleeved pale blue shirt with sleeves that slightly flared out at the end and the first two buttons of her shirt unbuttoned, showing a white tank top underneath. She was wearing a skirt that went mid-thigh that was a deep shade of blue. Serena hopped over to Ami and inspected the watch.   
  
"Ooh, Ami, that's real pretty."  
  
"Thanks Serena," Ami said. Serena was wearing cutoff jean shorts and a light pink tank top with thick straps. Mina came over and looked at the watch as well.   
  
"Yeah Ami, that is nice." Mina was wearing a mini-skirt as well, except hers was orange and she was wearing a white tee shirt. Lita looked up from dusting off her shirt to find the 5 guys staring at them. She nudged Raye, who turned to look at them as well. The others looked at Raye and Lita and turned to see what they saw and found the 5 guys looking at them.   
  
Lita whispered so the guys couldn't hear, "Those are the guys that saw us in our Sailor outfits."  
  
"We know that!" all the other girls said out loud.   
  
Raye sauntered over to the guys, who all abruptly looked away, and said, "You guys were staring at us, weren't you?" The guys recognized the gentle tone in her voice, but they couldn't place where they'd heard it.   
  
Ryo, the only one who was not affected by the girls, said, "I'm sorry, but my friends and I don't believe we've ever seen you before. We would have seen you at school. You new in town?" By this time, all of the other girls were standing by Raye.   
  
"Yeah, we're new in town," Lita said, not wanting to say more than that to perfect strangers.   
  
"What about you guys?" Lita asked. None of the guys except for Ryo seemed able to answer. Sage was busy staring at Raye, Rowen was occupied with Ami, Kento couldn't peel his eyes away from Lita, and Cye was mesmerized with Mina. Ryo looked at the guys and shook his head.   
  
He looked back at the girls and said, "We were just browsing the streets."  
  
"We were too," Mina said, "But we should probably be going now."  
  
"It was nice meeting you," Ami said softly, glancing at the guys individually. The girls turned and walked away, leaving the guys staring at the spot that they were just at.   
  
Ryo stepped in front of the group and turned around, waving his hands in front of the guys.   
"Hello? What's up with you guys? Come back to me, here." The guys snapped back to attention and Sage said, "What did you say?"  
  
"Ugh, never mind. What was up with you guys?"  
  
"Did you see those girls?" Sage asked.  
  
"Yeah, I talked to them. You didn't even mutter a word. I thought you were supposed to be good with girls but when you see one of those girls, you turn into a mute."  
  
"But that girl was beautiful..."  
  
"Which one?" Ryo asked, clearly annoyed.  
  
"The one with the long black hair and the purple eyes and the voice as clear as a bell..." It was clear that Sage was gone on Raye. Ryo snapped his fingers in front of Sage's face and brought Sage back from la-la land.   
  
"Come on you guys, let's go home," Ryo said.  
  
"Yeah, I've still got homework to do before tomorrow," Kento said, walking towards the direction of home, his eyes lingering on the spot where the girls once stood. The guys followed him, shaking their heads at one of the weirdest days ever.   
  
***  
The Sailor Scouts arrived at their house and collapsed in the family room.   
  
"What a day," Mina said yawning.   
  
"Yeah, I wasn't expecting that attack today. Now I'm tired and I'll still be tired tomorrow when we start school," Ami said.   
  
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm a little nervous about tomorrow. All those new people and we don't all have the same schedule. Or at least our little genius Ami won't," Lita said, teasing Ami about her intelligence.   
  
"Hey, watch it with the smart jokes," Ami muttered in defense, too tired to put up a real fight.   
  
Although all of them were excited about the next day, they were all extremely nervous about starting a new school where they didn't know anyone. It was the only thing on their minds and the more they thought about it, the more nervous they got.   
  
To get the topic of conversation away from school, Mina said, "Hey, what about those guys that we met today? It was weird that we met them when they saw us as the Sailor Scouts and then when we were normal. It's more then a coincidence that we met more than once, but I don't know why. But one of them was really cute. You know, the one with the auburn hair?"  
  
"Nah," Raye said, "The one with the blonde hair."  
  
"Nope you're wrong. It's the one with the headband," Lita said. The three girls started arguing about it when Ami cleared her voice to get their attentions.   
  
"Excuse me," she said in a quiet voice, "But it's the one with the blue hair." The girls looked at Ami shocked. They didn't think that she was paying attention to the guys at all. They were all stunned for a moment but they soon started up the argument again.   
  
"QUIET!" Serena yelled. All of them shut up quick and turned to look at Serena. "You guys are giving me a headache. This argument is stupid. And besides, none of them were really cute."  
  
"That's because you have Darien!" all of them shouted at Serena.  
  
"So, that shouldn't make any difference." Serena got up and began to walk towards her bedroom.   
  
"I'm tired and I don't care if it's only 5:00 in the afternoon. I'm going to sleep. Have fun arguing." She walked out of the room and left them to their argument.  



	3. A Year Abroad Chapter 2

Serena walked towards the front office with a pout on her face.   
  
"I hate having to wear uniforms. Why is it that every school we go to has uniforms?"   
  
Raye came up besides Serena and said, "It's not that bad. At least we don't have to pick out our clothes in the morning. All we have to do is put on this." She indicated towards the gray pleated skirt and the white blouse with white knee socks. "It's fast and easy."   
  
"I agree," Ami said, "It leaves more time for other things in the morning. Like eating breakfast, which you always manage to skip, Serena."  
  
"It's not my fault I don't wake up early enough to eat breakfast."  
  
"Yes it is," all the girls chimed.   
  
As they walked down the hall towards the front office, talking about mornings, they were unaware of the looks that they were receiving. It wasn't every day that someone saw 5 new, beautiful girls walking down the hall. They received looks of appreciation from the guys and looks of envy from the girls who saw how beautiful the girls were.   
  
Lita, who was looking up and around the hallway, found the sign that said, "Front Office," and stopped.   
  
"You guys, this is it." She opened the door and stepped in. The others followed and Ami, who was the last one in, shut the door behind her. The secretary looked up from what she was typing and smiled at the group. The secretary was in her late 20's with dark blonde hair pulled back into a bun atop of her head.   
  
The secretary took off her glasses and said, "You must be the new exchange students from Tokyo. I'll let the principal know you're here." Standing up, she walked away from her desk and opened a door to an adjacent room, walking in and shutting it behind her.   
  
The Sailor Scouts were left standing in the office for a couple of minutes when the secretary came out and said, "The principal will see you now." The girls walked into the principal's office and found the principal sitting at her desk, looking over papers that they assumed were their records. The principal looked up and smiled at them.   
  
"Hello, I'm Ms. Lawrence. I'm the principal of the school, if you haven't heard already. Welcome to Han'a High. I'm sure you'll like it here." Sitting back down at her desk, she indicated to the chairs behind the girls, motioning for them to sit down. The girls complied and looked at the principal.   
  
"And what are your names?" Ms. Lawrence asked them.  
  
"Raye."  
  
"Mina."  
  
"Lita."  
  
"Ami."  
  
"Serena."  
  
"Well, welcome Raye, Mina, Lita, Ami, and Serena. Your tour guides should be here any moment, so while you're waiting, I'll give you a copy of your class schedules to look over." She handed them each slips of paper that told them their classes.   
  
Serena looked over hers and nodded in approval. Math 3, English 11, Home Economics, Biology, Modern World History, and French 2. Not bad, in her opinion. She looked over at Ami's schedule and her mouth dropped open.   
  
"Gosh Ames, little miss academics. Wow. Physics Honors, Advanced Calculus, Free, 19th Century British Lit. Honors, Spanish 4, and A.P. Modern World History." Serena practically yelled.   
  
Ami looked at her list of classes and said, "It's not that bad. I'm just annoyed that they don't have a higher math course. I already took Advanced Calculus."  
  
"You already took Advanced Calculus?" the girls all exclaimed. Ami opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off short when the secretary came in.   
  
"Excuse me, Ms. Lawrence, but the tour guides are here."   
  
"Ok, send them in." The girls stood up the meet their tour guides and their mouths dropped open when they saw who they were.  
  
***  
The Ronin Warriors walked down one of the main corridors of Han'a High, towards the front office. Rowen straightened his tie in nervousness, glad that the tie that he was required to wear with his uniform had some purpose, even if it was used to relieve nervousness.   
  
"Why do you think we're getting called to the principal's office?" Rowen asked anxiously, hoping that they weren't in trouble.  
  
"I'm sure it's nothing," Sage said.  
  
"You know, I don't know how you manage to keep so laid back all the time?" Rowen asked, envying his friend's ability to stay calm in situations like this.  
  
"I'm with Sage on this one, Rowen. It's the beginning of the day, not to mention it's the second week of school. We couldn't have possibly done anything wrong," Cye rationalized.  
  
"Well, fine, if you wanna use reason," Rowen muttered.  
  
"Yeah, I hear using reason is nice. You seemed to use it, too, until we got called to the principal's office," Ryo joked.   
  
The group of 5 guys was a group of some of the most well known guys in school. Sage was the famous flirt king, Rowen was at the top of the class when it came to grades, Kento was the class clown although he didn't mean to be, Cye was the guy that anyone could go to with their problems, and Ryo was the star athlete with the college girlfriend.   
  
They walked into the front office to find an empty desk where they were expecting to find the secretary to give them some sort of clue as to why they were called to the principal's office right off the bat. The door to the principal's office was open a crack and from it, they could hear the familiar voice of one loud girl.   
  
"Gosh Ames, little miss academics. Wow. Physics Honors, Advanced Calculus, Free, 19th Century British Lit. Honors, AP Modern World History, and Spanish 4." Someone, they figured it was a girl, responded to that, but they weren't loud enough to be heard by the guys, but the next thing they heard was, "You already took Advanced Calculus?" yelled by a small group of people.   
  
Kento, Cye, Sage, and Ryo looked at Rowen with surprise. Was there actually someone smarter than Rowen? Right then, the secretary walked into the room and smiled at the 5 guys.   
  
"Oh, you're here. Great. I'll just tell Ms. Lawrence that you're here." The secretary opened the door and said, "Excuse me, Ms. Lawrence, but the tour guides are here."   
  
Suddenly, everything came into focus as to why they were there. They were going to be tour guides; they weren't in trouble.   
  
"Ok, send them in." The secretary moved aside for the Ronin Warriors to enter the room and they were shocked to see who they were touring. It was the girls that they had met yesterday. The girls were obviously shocked to see them as well. It was way unexpected.   
  
"It's you!" all ten of them cried at once.   
  
Ms. Lawrence looked back and forth between the two groups for a moment and said, "You guys know each other?"   
  
Serena looked at Ms. Lawrence and said, "We met them yesterday. We were just getting familiar with the town when we ran into them."  
  
"Oh, that's nice, but wasn't it dangerous to be out on the streets yesterday? Did you hear about that monster attack? I thought things like that only happened in Tokyo. Luckily the Sailor Scouts were able defeat it," Ms. Lawrence said.  
  
"Yes, the Sailor Scouts are a truly wonderful group of girls," Serena said. All the girls around her rolled their eyes. Serena saw it, but chose to ignore it.   
  
"In fact, we've seen them before. We come from Tokyo, where the Sailor Scouts are from, and we saw them fighting a youma once. It was pretty amazing."  
  
"Yeah, except for Sailor Moon," Raye said.  
  
"Shut up, Raye. Sailor Mars wasn't too great either."  
  
"Yeah, well at least she's better than Sailor Moon."  
  
"Uh-uh, Sailor Moon is the leader. She's way better than Sailor Mars." Raye and Serena were interrupted by Lita's smacking them both on the back of the head.   
  
"You guys, stop it. Really, this is a stupid argument," Mina said.  
  
"Yes, and a very old topic, too," Ami said.  
  
"Sorry," Serena and Raye both said meekly.   
  
"All fighting aside, which I hope won't happen again, I'm going to pair you guys up with one of the 5 tour guides based on your classes," Ms. Lawrence said, "And I've already decided who you're going to go with. Serena, you go with Ryo to Math 3. Mina, you go with Cye to biology. Lita, you go to English 10 with Kento. Raye, you go to History with Sage. And Ami, you go to Physics with Rowen. Now, go to your classes."   
  
The ten students started to file out and before they went out of sight, Ms. Lawrence said, "Have a good day, girls."  
  
"We will," the 5 girls said. Once out in the hallway, they split up to go to their separate classes. The girls made a promise to meet each other for lunch before they separated. As they went their separate directions, the Sailor Scouts thought, Welcome to Han'a High.   



	4. A Year Abroad Chapter 3

Ami waited outside the Home Economics classroom for Lita, Mina, Raye, and Serena to come out. She was the only one who wasn't taking this class. Instead, she had a free period. During her free, she wandered around campus, checking it out and she had a pretty good idea of the whole layout of the school.   
  
She leaned against the wall and checked her watch. Class was due out any minute. Ami sighed and started thinking about how boring her day had been so far. Physics wasn't too bad. They were covering some stuff that she had only had a chance to barely look at, so she was interested. But Calculus was awful. She had already taken that class, so she spent the entire class period doing homework from future sections of the book. The other thing about her two morning classes was that she was the only girl in both. It seemed that girls weren't as ambitious in Toyama as they were in Tokyo. If Rowen hadn't been with her to answer her questions about the school and to keep her company, she probably would have shot herself.   
  
Thinking about Rowen make her smile and brought a slight tinge of pink to her face. Their class schedules were the exact same, except that when she had her morning free period he had PE. She really liked him. Out all the people in her Calculus class, he seemed to be the smartest and he wasn't afraid to ask Ami for help.   
  
The Calculus class was learning a concept that nobody understood except for Ami, who had already taken the class. She remembered the two boys talking behind her about how they didn't get it. She turned around and offered to help them, but they scorned her and said that they don't take help from a girl. Ami turned back around, hurt at what they said, until Rowen nudged her and said, "Hey, what do they know? They're ignorant, sexist pigs. But, hey, since you're not helping them, how about helping me?" Ami just smiled at him and settled down to help him. With maybe 5 minutes of explaining, Rowen understood it perfectly while the two guys behind her were still having trouble.   
  
Ami shook her head to clear her thoughts when the door in front of her opened and students started filing out. Ami stood against the doorway to find her four friends packing up their stuff. Serena was the first one to spot Ami in the doorway and called her over.   
  
"Hey Ami!" Serena said, "What brings you here?"  
  
"I had a free and I was going to wait for you guys to get out so we could all go to lunch. I found this really great spot that's not too far from here. I already have my stuff there, so let's hurry."   
  
Together, they all walked to this picnic table that was underneath a large oak tree. Lita, Mina, Raye, and Serena automatically thought of home.   
  
"This looks exactly like the place we used to have scout meetings at back at home," Mina said nostalgically.  
  
"Yeah, remember I used to cook for our scout meetings and we would spread out all the food. Hey, do you guys remember the time when Luna fell into the soy sauce? I have never seen her so mad!" Lita said.  
  
"Yeah, well you didn't have to give her a bath after. I did," Serena said.   
  
They all sat down and Raye turned to Lita and said, "Hey, speaking of food, do you have that special lunch that you packed for our first day of school, Lita?"  
  
"Hmm? Oh, yeah." Digging into her school bag, she pulled out a huge bag of food. She set out all the food and the girls started digging in.   
  
"So," Serena said, chewing on a bite of a rice cake, "How has everyone's morning gone so far?" Lita, Mina, and Raye all gave signs of appraisal that indicated that their mornings had been ok, but Ami said, "It was boring."  
  
"Boring?" Lita asked.  
  
"How?" Mina exclaimed.  
  
"Why?" Raye asked, concerned.  
  
"Well, physics wasn't that bad. They're studying something that I never really went into a lot of depth on, but my Calculus class is filled with a bunch of morons."  
  
"You mean except for that guy. You know, the guy with the same color hair as yours," Serena said.  
  
"Yes, except for Rowen, the entire class is made up of idiots. They don't like the fact that there's a girl in their class."  
  
"Wait, you mean you're the only girl in your calculus class?" Raye exclaimed.  
  
"And my physics class. The only thing that makes it bearable is the fact that Rowen's in both of my classes. Thank God for small favors."  
  
"Aw, come on Ami, you know you like him," Lita said.  
  
"I never said I didn't. You know, it's weird that we ran into them twice yesterday. By the peddler's shop and then before that when the droid attacked."  
  
"What droid? You didn't tell me about any droid." The Sailor Scouts looked down to find Luna and Artemis by the edge of the table.   
  
"That's because you and Artemis were asleep, you silly cat. What are you doing here?" Serena asked with an accusing tone of voice.  
  
"We came to see how your first day of school was going. Nothing life-threatening, I hope," Artemis said.  
  
"No, it's pretty good. Ami's stuck in these boring classes though," Mina said.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. Remember, though, it's only for a year," Luna said, reassuringly.  
  
"Yeah, I know, only a year. And still, I have yet to see my other classes. It ought to be interesting. Well, let's hope anyway."   
  
Serena got up and said, "I'll be right back. I'm going to go get something to drink. Come on, Luna, I'll tell you about the attack." She picked up Luna and placed her on her shoulder. It was a bit of a search to find the soda machine, but it gave her time to tell Luna about the droid attack.   
  
"That's weird, Serena, it's like they knew you were here."  
  
"Yeah, and that's the disturbing thing. How did they know we were here?"  
  
"I don't know Serena." Serena found the soda machine and stood there, looking at her options.   
  
Ryo came up to her and said, "Hey Serena." Serena turned around and greeted him back.   
  
"Oh, hey Ryo." They had only known each other for about three hours, but already, they were becoming fast friends. They had a lot they could both relate to, one of them being the fact that they were both dating older people who were in college. Ryo was about to say something when he spotted Luna.   
  
"Serena, why is there a cat on your shoulder?"  
  
"Oh, you mean Luna? She's my cat. She obviously followed me to school. This whole place is new to her and she probably wanted to know that there was someone she knew in this strange place. Yeah, she followed me along with Mina's cat Artemis. Say hi." Serena held out Luna for Ryo to pet and Ryo gave Luna a good-natured scratch behind the ears.   
  
"She's cute. But, I'm used to dealing with bigger cats."  
  
"Do you have cat?"  
  
"Yeah, but it's not actually a cat."  
  
"Well, what is it then?"  
  
"It's a large white tiger."   
  
Serena laughed, thinking he was joking, but when she saw no humor on his face, she said, "You aren't joking, are you?"  
  
"No, I'm not. I'll take you to meet him, someday. His name's White Blaze."  
  
"Hmm, how appropriate. Hey, do you wanna come eat with my friends and me? We're right...over...there." Serena turned around and saw that Ryo's friends had found her friends and had crowded around the picnic table.   
  
"I guess I'm eating with you, then," Ryo said. Serena took a good look at the group of eight at her table.   
  
"Hey, Ryo, did you notice a lot of similarities between our groups of friends? I mean, you have your two blue-haired geniuses, your two purple-eyed people who practice meditation, two people who deal a lot with food, whether eating it or making it, and two people who are nice to everyone around them. Now that I think about it, I see 4 potential couples sitting right over there. Do you think..."  
  
"That we should..." Ryo broke in.  
  
"Play matchmaker?" they both said at the same time.  
  
"I mean, why not? Why begrudge our friends happiness?" Serena said.  
  
"I don't see any reason why not," Ryo said mischievously. Smiling at each other, they made their way back to their table, very happy at their idea.   
  
Serena and Ryo sat down and suddenly Rowen noticed both of the cats.   
  
"What's with the cats?" he asked. Serena lifted Luna off of her shoulder and put her down on the table.   
  
"Well, they're our cats. The black one is Luna and the white one is Artemis."  
  
"Hmm," Rowen said, "That's strange."  
  
"What's strange?" Raye said.  
  
"Well, their names both have something to do with the moon and they both have crescent moon marks on their foreheads. It's weird." The girls looked at each other in panic. Rowen was getting really close with the crescent moon mark remark.   
  
"Uhh, my little brother, um, shaved crescent moon marks on to their foreheads right before I left. Kind of a sick going away present," Serena said hurriedly.   
  
The other girls each gave small sighs in relief that Serena had come up with a sufficient cover story for marks that they couldn't explain to these guys. With that situation taken care of, the Sailor Scouts and the Ronin Warriors settled into lunch.  



	5. A Year Abroad Chapter 4

That afternoon, the Ronin Warriors were walking home, talking about the day that they had.   
  
"Those 5 girls are really something, aren't they?" Sage asked the group as they were walking home.  
  
"Oh yeah," Kento said.  
  
"I really like them," Cye said.  
  
"I'm sure you do," Ryo said with humor in his voice.  
  
"But don't you guys think that it was weird that those 5 girls showed up the same day that the Sailor Scouts did?" Rowen speculated.   
  
"Are you saying that they're the same people?" Sage asked.  
  
"I don't know. They do bear resemblances to the Sailor Scouts, but they don't fit the personality types quite right," Rowen said.  
  
"Yeah, but you know how people change in battle. You've been there yourself," Ryo said.  
  
"That may be," Sage agreed, "But I don't buy Serena's story on the marks on the cats' foreheads. It didn't look like it had been shaved on their foreheads. I got a close look at the white one. Those marks were made out of gold and they looked like they were grown into their foreheads. I didn't see any indication that they were stickers, either. Something weird is going on with those girls. I don't think they're all who they say they are."  
  
"So you agree with me on my suspicions?" Rowen inquired.  
  
"Yes, I do," Sage said.  
  
"I do too," Ryo agreed, "I mean, don't get me wrong, they're nice girls, but something seems a little off."  
  
"Hey, speaking of girls, you and Serena are pretty chummy," Cye said.  
  
"Yeah, we have a lot in common. It's pretty cool. We spent half of math class, while doing our homework, talking about what it's like to date someone that's older than you."  
  
"She has a boyfriend?" Cye asked.  
  
"Yep, according to her, she's the only one out of her friends that has one." Ryo glanced around and saw the hopeful looks on his friends' faces when they heard that the girls, besides Serena, didn't have boyfriends.   
  
"You guys are so lovesick it's not even funny," Ryo said.  
  
"Hey," Sage shot back, "We had to go through this from you when you started going out with Mia."  
  
"Yeah, well you didn't have to deal with it from 4 guys. There's a big difference."  
  
"Yeah, whatever Ryo," they all said. They all laughed and continued walking.   
  
***  
At the same time, the Sailor Scouts were walking home as well.   
  
"Well, I don't think that today went too badly, now did it?" Serena said, happy that school was over.  
  
"Yeah, it wasn't that bad," Raye agreed.   
  
"I have to admit, I really like it here," Mina said.   
  
"Me too," Lita said.  
  
"Well, it was good after Calculus," Ami said, "So I guess the whole year won't be a complete bore."  
  
"So, what do you guys think of the guys that showed us around today?" Serena asked casually.  
  
"I like them," Mina.  
  
"They're really nice," Lita said.  
  
"Yeah, but I sensed something weird about them," Raye said slowly, "Only I don't know what. Those 5 boys hold some kind of power. They were practically radiating with it. It's too bad that I can't consult the Great Fire. We might be able to find out what their deal is."  
  
"It would be nice if you could do that. It would also help us in trying to find out why the droid attacked us here. I still can't figure it out," Ami said.   
  
Raye looked deep in thought for a minute and then said, "Actually, I think I could ask the Great Fire. There is more that one, you know. And my grandfather said before I left that he had a friend in Toyama who had his own temple and that if I ever needed anything, that I could always go to him. I have the address, we just have to find the place."  
  
"You know, Raye, that's a really good idea," Serena said.  
  
"I know, I'm just glad I..." Raye stopped talking and turned around with a confused, worried look on her face.   
  
"What's wrong, Raye?" Mina asked.  
  
"I have this really weird feeling. Someone's close by," Raye whispered so only the girls could hear.  
  
"Is it bad or good?" Lita asked cautiously.  
  
"Bad, I think," Raye said. She heard a noise in the bushes and pulled out an anti-evil charm.   
  
"Evil spirit, vanish from this place and never return!" She hit whatever it was with the charm and knocked them out.   
  
When she saw who she had hit, she opened her mouth in surprise and shame as the other Sailor Scouts laughed behind her.  
  
***  
Ryo and the guys had been walking in silence when they saw the Sailor Scouts walking ahead of them.   
  
Sage's eyes lit up and he said, "Hey look, it's the girls."  
  
"Yeah, do you wanna go say hi?" Cye asked.  
  
"No, I think we should sneak up on them, what do you say?" Sage said.  
  
"Yeah," the others said, their eyes sparkling with mischief.   
  
They moved into the bushes to sneak up on them and prepared to pounce when Ryo suddenly stopped, a memory hitting him of something he had forgotten a long time ago.  
  
*Flashback*  
Ryo of the Wildfire crouched behind the bush, watching his royal cousin admire the foliage. Grinning slightly, he ran out of the bushes and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly to him and scaring her half to death. She gave out a scream and wrenched herself from his arms to look at him with a scolding look.   
  
"Ryo, you scared me half to death. How dare you do that to me?" She sounded mad, but her blue eyes gave it away that she wasn't, because her eyes were shining with happiness.   
  
She tossed one of her blond pigtails behind her shoulder and looked back at Ryo for an explanation.   
  
Brushing off his Samurai uniform, he said, "I dare to do that because it was the perfect opportunity."  
  
"Well, I'm the princess and princesses don't deserve to be scared."  
  
"You may be the princess, Serenity, but you're still my cousin and that gives me the right to scare you whenever I please."  
  
"I'll tell mother." Ryo's eyes widened in surprise.   
  
"Oh, please, don't tell Aunt Serenity. She'll have my head. You know how she hates practical jokes like this"  
  
"Do you promise not to do it again?"  
  
"Yes, I promise." Princess Serenity giggled and said, "Good."  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
"Hey, buddy, you ok?" Kento whispered.  
  
"Yeah, I think so. I just got the weirdest feeling of déjà vu."   
  
"That is weird. We've never done this before," Sage said.  
  
"No, this was different. This was a memory. It's like I went to a different time and world altogether. I could feel things."  
  
"Well, what happened in your 'memory'?" Rowen asked.  
  
"Well, I was wearing this Samurai outfit and I was behind this bush, like we are now, looking at this girl, waiting to jump out of the bush and scare her. I sneak up behind her and grab her around the waist, scaring her really badly.   
  
"We talk for a moment and she says that she was the princess and that she didn't deserve to be scared and I said that she may be the princess, but I was still her cousin and I had the right to scare her. She threatened to tell her mother and I didn't want her to do that because her mother, or my Aunt Serenity, would have my head and I promised not to do it again."  
  
"Hmm, that is weird," Cye said.  
  
"Yeah, and the weird thing is that this girl had the same sign on her forehead as Serena's cats did. I don't think I'm making this up. It was too vivid and detailed to not be real."  
  
"Shh," Sage said, "I think they heard us."   
  
They saw Raye sneak up on the bush and pull out a small slip of paper.   
  
"Evil spirit, vanish from this place and never return!" Raye cried out, hitting Sage dead on with the charm, knocking him out.   
  
As Sage fell to the ground, Raye's mouth fell open with shock and the other girls started laughing behind her.   
  
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I-I didn't know that it was him."   
  
Ryo glared at her and said, "Will he be alright?"  
  
"Yeah, he should be fine. He's not evil, so it shouldn't do any permanent damage. He'll be out for a few minutes, though."   
  
The girls were still laughing behind her when Serena stopped laughing and said, "Actually, you guys, this isn't funny. I've been there before."  
  
"You have?" Cye asked.  
  
"Yeah, one of the only times she was wrong was when she met me for the first time. I was out for a minute or two. Do you remember, Ami?"  
  
"Yes, I do remember. And if I'm not mistaken, you woke up when you heard there was a cute guy on the temple grounds."  
  
"Hey, I didn't know it was Jadeite, ok?"  
  
"I didn't say anything about that, did I?' Ami said.  
  
"You know, this trip down memory lane is great and everything, but how do we wake Sage up?" Rowen asked.   
  
Raye kneeled on the ground next to Sage and said, "Let me try and wake him up." She put her hands on his shoulders and shook him lightly.   
  
"Come on Sage, wake up," she said in a gentle voice. She lightly slapped him on the face a couple of times and Sage opened his eyes slowly to see Raye above him, looking down at him with concern, and he swore he was in heaven.   
  
"What happened?" he asked slowly.   
  
Raye cringed and said, "I'm sorry. I kinda knocked you out." Raye stood up and so did Sage, with the help of Ryo.   
  
"What did you say?"  
  
"I knocked you out."  
  
"How?" Sage asked.  
  
"With my anti-evil charm. I'm usually never wrong with those things. I've only been wrong twice. With Serena and with you. I'm really sorry."  
  
"You're forgiven, but why do you carry around anti-evil charms? I thought only priests did that," Sage asked.  
  
"You're close. I'm a priestess at my grandfather's temple. I always have charms with me."  
  
"You're a priestess?!" the guys yelled.  
  
"Yeah, at the Hino Shrine in Tokyo," Raye said slowly.  
  
"You mean, the one that's always in the news about the weird attacks that go on there?" Rowen asked hurriedly.  
  
"Yep, that's the one," Raye said, "It's my grandfather's temple and I became a priestess before I came here to do my junior year here."  
  
"That is so cool," Sage said.  
  
"I seem to think so, too," said Raye.  
  
"Yeah, and it's really cool when you do your fire readings, Raye. Those are deadly accurate," Lita said.  
  
"Your what?" Ryo asked.  
  
"My fire readings. I can read fire to find out things. It comes in handy when I need it."  
  
"Wow, that's pretty unique," Cye said.  
  
"Yeah, it's cool, but everyone has something unique about them," Raye said, "Ami's a super-genius, I'm a priestess, Lita's the master chef, and Mina was an actress when she lived in England. But we're still not sure about Serena."  
  
"Hey, Raye!" Serena yelled.  
  
"Now, Serena does have something special about her," Mina said, forgetting that the guys were there in the first place.  
  
"What?" Raye snorted.  
  
"She's royalty." Mina realized as soon as she had said that that she shouldn't have. She was only making explaining things to the guys harder.  
  
"She's what?" the guys yelled.  
  
"I'm royalty," Serena said meekly, "It's from my mother's side. I don't remember what I'm royalty of, but I know I am," Serena finished, lying through her teeth. She knew fully well what she was royalty of, but she couldn't tell the guys she was princess of the moon, now could she?   
  
"Well, I think it was time we were getting home. We all have homework to do," Ami said, pushing the girls along the path. "It was nice to see you," Ami yelled as the girls disappeared from sight.   
  
As soon as the guys were able to talk again, Rowen said, "Those are weird girls. Does anyone else besides me get the feeling that they're hiding something from us?"  
  
"Yeah, I do," Sage said.  
  
"So do I, but I know that we can trust them," Ryo said.  
  
"How do you know that we can trust them?" Cye asked.  
  
"I don't know, just a gut feeling," Ryo said distantly.  
  
"Pfft, you've been wrong on those before," Kento said.  
  
"I know, but this is different."  
  
"Different how?" Sage and Rowen asked.  
  
"I don't know," Ryo said.   
  
***  
The Sailor Scouts entered their house and dropped their school bags unceremoniously onto the ground. They trudged into the kitchen and sat on the stools surrounding the island in the middle of the room.   
  
"God, this was an exhausting day," Lita said.  
  
"Yeah, well it was the first day. What did you expect?" Raye said.  
  
"I don't know, something a little more easy-going," Lita said.  
  
"Yeah, well dream on girlfriend," Mina said, "'Cause it ain't going to happen."  
  
"I know, I just wish it could have been a little easier." Lita pushed her self off of the stool.   
  
"Hey, you guys want something to eat? I'm going to cook now and then I'm going to get my homework done so I can get to sleep early."  
  
"That sounds like a good idea," Ami said.  
  
"Yeah, I'll go for that," Serena said. Raye and Mina just agreed by raising their hands slightly.   
  
Laughing slightly, Lita said, "Well then, I guess it's settled." She walked over to the refrigerator and opened it, planning her next meal while the others watched.  



	6. A Year Abroad Chapter 5

About a month had passed since the Sailor Scouts came to Toyama and they were fitting into the new routine rather nicely, thanks to Ronin Warriors. Except for the occasional droid attack, things were going smoothly.   
  
One Friday afternoon, about a month since the Sailor Scouts arrived in Toyama, they were walking home in silence, just enjoying the fall afternoon. They were wrapped up in their own little worlds until a resonating scream came through to them.   
  
All of their attentions were focused on the scream and Serena said, "Uh-oh, fight time. Come on you guys, let's go! MOON CRYSTAL POWER!"  
  
"MERCURY STAR POWER!"  
  
"MARS STAR POWER!"  
  
"JUPITER STAR POWER!"  
  
"VENUS STAR POWER!" In the place of 5 girls in school uniforms stood 5 girls in sailor outfits, looking ready for battle.   
  
Leaving their school stuff on the ground, they rushed to the battle scene. Little did they know that this fight would change something inside of them forever.  
  
***  
The Sailor Scouts arrived at the scene to see 5 monsters roaming through the local park in Toyama and it was obvious that they were looking for something.   
  
The leader of the droids spotted the Sailor Scouts dead ahead and hissed, "Ahh, we found what we were looking for."   
  
"Who are you?" Sailor Jupiter asked.   
  
The one in the middle, whose skin was a light purple, obviously the leader, smiled evilly and said, "We're the Quartz sisters. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Axinite."   
  
"My name is Serpentine," said the monster whose skin was a light, sea green. She wore a body suit, like all her other sisters, that was a slightly darker shade of sea green than her skin.  
  
"I'm Pyrope," the maroon one said. Her body suit was almost black.  
  
"I'm Rubellite," a fuchsia one said.  
  
"And I'm Lazulite," the last one, whose skin was blue, said.   
  
"And prepare to die," Axinite said.   
  
The 5 droids clasped their hands together and shot out a beam of energy straight for the Sailor Scouts. The Sailor Scouts barely had time to regain their balance after dodging the first one when they shot another at the Scouts.   
  
Sailor Mars was the first one to get her balance back and she said, "We need to split them up! Hopefully they won't be as strong when they're by themselves."   
  
All the rest of the scouts stood up and said, "Right!" They went running in different directions and as planned, one of the monsters followed.   
  
When the Scouts turned around to face whichever one chased after them, they were all happy that the rest of the Scouts were still in sight. The droids that they were fighting were identical in almost every way except for their color. The one that was facing Ami was sea green in color, Lita was fighting the dark maroon one, Serena was faced off against one that was a light purple, Raye was against one that was fuchsia, and Mina was fighting a blue one. Simultaneously, the Scouts let loose their attacks.   
  
"JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!"  
  
"VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!"  
  
"MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!"  
  
"SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!"  
  
"MOON SCEPTER ELIMINATION!" The attacks hurled towards the droids, who were fighting back with attacks of their own.   
  
The Sailor Scouts kept their attacks going, pouring more and more energy into their attacks. But the droids came back with an equal amount of energy and forced theirs upon the Sailor Scouts with equal force. The Scouts felt like they were being ripped apart inside. The amount of energy that was pouring through them was too much for a normal human to handle. The Scouts weren't sure that they could handle that much energy. But they had to for the sake of their own lives and after that, the rest of the world. The Sailor Scouts knew that if they perished in this battle against these five droids then all mankind would be dead as they knew it. With that thought in mind, the Scouts gave even more energy into their attacks, which weren't even their attacks any more, just colored beams of energy that represented the life force of each scout.   
  
As the power became too unbearable for them to handle in their Scout form, bright balls of light surrounded the Scouts. Screams ripped through the scouts as they appeared in the dresses that they wore as princesses in the Silver Millennium. Serena's eyes widened in shock. No! This is not supposed to happen! They'll get their memories back! I swore I wasn't going to let that happen. What have I done? Although Serena tried to stop it with the power of her crystal, she was too late. The other scouts were already remembering...  



	7. A Year Abroad Chapter 6

Ami sat close to the man next to her. He had his arm around her shoulder and he was whispering something into her ear that made her giggle. She felt his other arm encircle her and suddenly, she felt very warm, very safe, like she didn't bear the burden of protecting her planet and the Princess.   
  
Suddenly, a flash of bright light ripped through the sky and Ami immediately stood up and called, "MERCURY STAR POWER!" In a matter of seconds, Ami stood there in her Sailor Scout outfit. The man next to her took on his own kind of transformation, turning into one of the guards that were helping the Sailor Scouts protect the princess, the leader of the guards being the princess's own cousin.   
  
Ami turned to run to the battle, when she felt his hand on her shoulder. She turned around and he gave her a bruising kiss.   
  
"I love you, never forget that," he said fiercely.  
  
"And I love you, too." Together, they turned and sprinted to the battle site, but a bright light surrounded them and they disappeared.   
  
Ami awoke later to find her lover across from her, chained to the wall. She struggled to move, but she couldn't, like something was binding her, but she felt no ropes or anything of the type. She turned her head to see Zoisite enter the room.   
  
Laughing maliciously, he said, "My dear, dear Ami. How have you been?" Ami spat in his face to the best of her ability.   
  
"Go to hell, Zoisite."  
  
"I'll never go to hell, my dear, I shall live forever under the reign of Queen Beryl. Now, to settle this little problem of your new lover..." Zoisite walked over to the figure chained up and kicked him in the ribs. Hard.   
  
"No, stop it Zoisite! Don't hurt him!"  
  
"Why not? He stole you from me, he deserves to die."  
  
"He didn't take me from you. I went to him freely. After you turned to Queen Beryl's side, I found out your treacherous nature. He showed me what real love was like." Zoisite walked over to Ami and slapped her.   
  
"You bitch, you said you would love me forever. But since this young rogue has stolen your heart, I guess he deserves to die!" Zoisite sent a burst of energy that erupted into flames, engulfing the man in chains. He screamed as the flames scorched his skin.   
Ami felt the tears roll down her cheeks, but there was nothing she could do.   
  
Her heart clenched in pain for her lover as she took in the sight of his burnt skin. It was almost as if she could feel the burn marks on her skin, as well. Zoisite sent another wave of fire at him, longer this time, and stronger. It killed him on impact.   
  
"NOOOO!" Ami cried as she felt him die. When he died, her soul died with him. She knew she would never love another as long as she lived. She raised her head to look at Zoicite's face.   
  
"Well, I guess you got what you wanted, Zoisite."  
  
"No, there's one more things I want, but since I can't have her, she'll have to die as well."   
  
Ami knew she was going to die even before Zoisite said the words. She slumped in defeat and waited for the fire to burn her.  
  
***  
Raye was looking at the man sitting in front of her. She peered into his gorgeous eyes and kissed him lightly. The only sound to be heard was the trickling of water as it came out of the fountainhead. He brushed her hair away from her face, caressing her face with his fingertips.   
  
Raye's eyes fluttered close as she let herself bask in the feeling of his fingers on her face. She held his hand to her face and opened her eyes.   
  
"I love you," she said, her voice quavering and her heart pounding.  
  
"I love you, too," he said, his voice sounding so much steadier than hers.   
  
A bright light that flashed in the sky brought the two out of their reverie.   
  
Raye shot a worried look at him and stood up. Raising her hand in the air, she called out, "MARS STAR POWER!" In seconds, she transformed out of the princess outfit that she was wearing and was in her Sailor Scout uniform. The man across from her did his own transformation and appeared as one of the guards sent to the moon to help protect the princess.   
  
Their eyes locked and they shared a passionate kiss.   
  
When they broke apart, he said, "If you die, I die with you. I won't live without you."  
"And neither I without you," Raye said, feeling the tears in her throat. They started off towards the battle site when a light engulfed them and suddenly, everything was black.   
  
When Raye came to, she found her lover chained up across from her and she was bound by an invisible energy force.   
  
"There's no use trying to escape, you'll only waste your energy." Raye's head moved sharply to see Jedite hovering in the corner, looking expedient.   
  
"I'm glad you're awake. You're just in time to see your lover die."  
  
"Well, then you might as well kill me too. If he dies, I die."   
  
Jedite appeared to be thinking that over and then, he said, "Alright. Consider it payback for betraying me with that pretty boy over there."  
  
"Betraying you? You betrayed me first by joining Queen Beryl."  
  
"No, I just saw the light and realized that the true power lies in the Negaforce."  
  
"If you believe that, you're wrong. Good will always defeat evil, no matter the circumstances."  
  
"How would you like to see that proven wrong?" Without warning, Jedite shot a bolt of electricity straight for the man chained up across from her.   
  
"No, stop! You're killing him!" Raye shouted as she heard her lover's tortured screams. It felt like someone was ripping up her soul to hear him scream like that.   
  
"That's the point," Jedite murmured.   
  
Raye tried to avert her head so she wouldn't have to see her lover die, but an invisible force made her watch every bolt of electricity, made her hear every scream, and made her feel every burn. Raye was sobbing when she watched her lover take his last breaths.   
  
"I'll love you forever, through this world and beyond, I promise," her lover said in his last breaths.  
  
"As will I," Raye sobbed. She saw him smile at her once and then his head slumped over as he released his last breath.   
  
As his soul fled his body, Raye simply didn't have it to live anymore. Without him, she was already dead. She barely even felt the pain as electricity scoured through her body.  
  
***  
Mina stood on a balcony, leaning into the embrace of the man standing behind her. He had his arms wrapped around her waist and his chin on her shoulder. Mina giggled as she felt his lips move their way up her neck, down her jawbone, and towards her lips. She allowed herself a small smile before his lips captured hers in a long kiss.   
  
After a few moments, they broke apart and allowed themselves to enjoy each other's company. Mina thrived off of the warmth that his body gave off, transferring it from his body to hers through the arms wrapped around her waist.   
  
Mina felt her consciousness slipping as she relaxed in his arms, but a flash of bright light soon shook her out of that.   
  
"What do you think that was?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know, but should we go check it out?" he said.  
  
"Yeah, we should. VENUS STAR POWER!" Within seconds, Mina was standing there in her Sailor Venus uniform. Then man standing behind her had transformed as well, wearing the uniform that marked him one of the guards sent along with the princess's cousin to help protect her. They began to make their way to the place where the light came from, but were absorbed by a bright light. With a scream from Mina and the man next to her, everything was black.   
  
Mina woke up to find herself in what looked like a torture chamber. She tried to move, but found that she couldn't. She looked down at her body, but found no ropes, so she figured that she was being held by an invisible energy force. She looked around and when her eyes caught what was on the other side of the room, she gasped.   
  
Across the room from her was her lover, chained rudely to the wall. He was out cold, his head rolled over to one side. She tried to break out of the invisible barrier that held her so she could go help him, but she succeeded in getting nowhere. She turned her head towards the sound of footsteps and her eyes narrowed in rage as she saw Malachite enter the room, his long white hair and cape blowing behind him. He eyes settled on her and he laughed softly.   
  
"Hello, my love," he said coolly.  
  
"I am not your love. You gave up all rights to call me that when you joined Queen Beryl."  
  
"Why, you make it sound like a bad thing," Malachite said, a hint of humor in his voice. He walked over to her lover and picked up his head by the hair.   
  
"Now him, he's a bad thing," Malachite said, "He took you away from me."  
  
"No he didn't," Mina said defensively, "I grew to love him over time. I met him after you joined the dark side."  
  
"No matter, he's against Queen Beryl. That means he deserves to die."  
  
"No Malachite! You can't do this!"  
  
"I can do anything that I want to," Malachite hissed. By this time, Mina's lover had already woken up.   
  
Lifting his head weakly, he said, "Mina? What's going on? Where are we?" Before Mina had time to respond, Malachite hit her lover with a strong beam of light energy, causing him to scream loudly.   
  
Mina felt her lover's tortured scream pierce her soul and she winced from the feeling.   
Malachite laughed maliciously and said to her lover, "Did you like that? Do you want more?"  
  
"No, please, I beg you..." he said.  
  
"SHUT UP!!" Malachite roared, "You take away my love and then you think you deserve to talk to me? I will show you the price for making me angry!" He sent another beam of light energy at Mina's lover, another loud, guttural scream ripping through him. Mina could feel the tears running down her face, blurring up her vision, but she could still see him clearly.   
  
Malachite sent one more beam at her lover, delivering a mortal blow. Mina could see her lover look at her with love-filled eyes, silently giving her the message that he would love her forever. Mina portrayed the same look in her eyes to the best of her ability. Obviously, it had been enough, for he smiled slightly before his chest stopped rising and his eyes closed, his head rolling back.   
  
"No! Please, don't die. I can't live without you. Please, wake up. You have to!" Mina called to him, but it was too late; he was dead. Mina could feel her world come to an end. She didn't see any point in living anymore.   
  
Malachite turned to her and said, "Aww, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" Malachite sneered, feigning sympathy.   
  
Mina glowered at him and said, "The only joy I get out of this is knowing that you'll never get me."  
  
"Are you so sure of that?" Malachite said.  
  
"I'm positive." Mina closed her eyes and focused her power inward. Slowly, she used her power to slow her heart down. As her pulsating heart came to a stop, she said three last words.   
  
"You lose, Malachite." Mina exhaled her last breath and all the pain was gone.  
  
***  
Lita smiled inwardly as she felt a pair of warm arms go around her waist. She would have physically smiled if she weren't kissing the man whose lap she was sitting on. Slowly, they parted and stayed in the positions that they were sitting in, just enjoying being in each other's physical space. Her forehead rested against his and him arms hung loosely around her waist.   
  
Lita closed her eyes and brought his scent into her lungs. Smiling, she opened her eyes and said, "This is nice."  
  
"What's nice?" he asked.  
  
"Just being able to be like this with you. No worries, without stress."  
  
"I wouldn't say that," he said.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because, I don't want you to jinx it and ruin the time we have together."  
  
"Ah, a man with ulterior motives. I like it."  
  
"Really?" he asked.  
  
"Absolutely," Lita whispered before kissing him again. They resumed kissing again when Lita caught a bright flash out of the corner of her eye.   
  
Pulling away from the man she was sitting on, she said, "Did you see that?"  
  
"Yeah, I saw it. What do you think it was?"  
  
"I don't know, let's go check it out." She got off of him and he stood up as well.   
  
"See what I mean? You jinxed it," he joked. Lita faked indignation and pretended to start storming away when he caught her arm and turned her around.   
  
Caressing her cheek gently, he said, "Hey, I was only kidding." After a long pause, he said, "I love you." Tears welled up in Lita's eyes at the gentleness of his tone of voice.   
"I love you, too." Together, they shared a tender kiss and when they pulled apart, Lita began her transformation.   
  
"JUPITER STAR POWER!" Within seconds, she was standing there as Sailor Jupiter. The man with her began his own transformation, turning into one of the guards sent to help protect the Princess.   
  
She started to take off, but he grabbed her hand. She turned around and looked at him with a questioning look.   
  
He squeezed her hand and said, "For good luck." She squeezed back and releasing his hand, they took off for the source of the light, but Lita stopped abruptly when she more felt than saw a light engulf the both of them. She opened her mouth to speak, but words never left her mouth for all went black.   
  
Lita woke what seemed like moments later. She moved her hand to touch her aching head, but found that she was restrained from doing so.   
  
"Lita!" She snapped to attention and looked straight ahead to see her lover chained to the wall. He too was struggling against the bonds that held to him, but to no avail. The chains still held.   
  
Lita opened her mouth to say something to comfort the confused look on her lover's face, but a bright light flashed and when it faded, Nephrite stood there, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, looking at Lita's lover.   
  
"So, this is who you found to replace me," Nephrite said.  
  
"Nephrite, I knew this had something to do with you. This reeks of you."  
  
"Really, I didn't know I gave off that evil stench."  
  
"You didn't until you joined the side of evil," Lita hissed.  
  
"You make me look like a betrayer. I did no such thing as betray you. I only saw where the real power lies and I had no wish to chose the losing side."  
  
"Then you are weaker-willed than I thought. If you truly believe that you're on the winning side, you have another thing coming."  
  
"Do I? You mean like enjoying watching your new lover die?" Lita's eyes widened in shock.   
"You wouldn't," she whispered.  
  
"Try me." Nephrite held out his hand and smiled evilly as a blue ball of light formed in his hand, solidifying almost immediately. Nephrite used his power to break the ball in to sharp pieces, almost like ice. The more Lita looked at the smaller pieces, the more she was convinced that they were ice. Nephrite had always had an affinity for ice.   
  
Smiling slightly at Lita first, Nephrite sent one of the ice slivers towards her lover. Lita gasped as the sliver buried itself into her lover's chest. Her lover gritted his teeth and tried to bear the pain as the ice sliver cut through his flesh, leaving a rivulet of blood pouring down his now bare chest.   
  
Nephrite said, "You didn't take that too bad. Let's try a few more."   
  
Lita's lover opened her mouth to speak, but instead screamed in pain as more ice slivers buried themselves in his chest. Lita struggled against the invisible bonds that held her, crying out, "Don't worry, I'll get you out."   
  
Nephrite only laughed and said, "You'll never be able to get out of those."  
  
"I will Nephrite and when I do, you won't know what hit you." Nephrite was unfazed. The only thing that he did was create a stake made out of the same ice that the slivers had been made of.   
  
For Lita, time moved as if in slow motion. Her eyes followed the ice stake until it buried itself in her lover's chest, right where his heart was. Her lover let out a tortured scream at the same moment that Lita did. Trying to get past the pain, her lover lifted his head to look at her one last time.   
  
"I meant what I said when I told you I loved you," he said weakly, "And I will never take that back. I'll love you forever."   
  
Choking back tears, Lita said, "I love you, too." Giving her one last smile, he closed his eyes and died.   
  
Then, Lita did something she hadn't done in a long time: she cried. She allowed the tears to roll freely down her face as she mourned for her dead lover. She didn't even notice Nephrite make an ice stake identical to the one that had just killed her lover.   
  
Lita looked at him just in time to see the stake flying right for her heart. She choked on her breath as the stake impaled her. She looked down slowly to see her life's blood pouring out of the wound in her chest. Gulping, she said to Nephrite, "Well, I guess you've won..."  
  
"Very perceptive."  
  
"For now. One day Nephrite, I'll get you for this." Lita closed her eyes and let the life leave her body, leaving her with some kind of peace.  



	8. A Year Abroad Chapter 7

Back in the real world, the Sailor Scouts, except for Serena, fainted from the strength of the memories and the power they had just received. But, they were still fighting the droids. With a sub-conscious move, the four sent a blast of power towards the droids that weakened them severely. With their energies waned, the droids regrouped and disappeared. The girls detransformed from their princess dresses to their regular clothes in a protective move to keep their identities a secret.   
  
Serena detransformed back into Sailor Moon and slumped to her knees, shaking with guilt and grief. She'd tried to keep the painful memories of their last moments on the Moon Kingdom away from them so they wouldn't have to bear the pain that she did when she got hers back. She swore that she was going to protect them from that pain and she had failed. That thought unearthed her completely, leaving her weary and guilt-stricken.   
  
She walked over to Raye, the closest one to her, and almost broke down into tears. The look on Raye's face was a painful one, like she was reliving something that she would gladly forget. Raye was pale, which looked unusual on her with her natural dark skin and Serena thought she looked dead. In a blind moment of panic, Serena pulled something out of her sub-dimensional pocket: a cell phone. Serena was glad that her mother had given it to her in the case of an emergency. This was an emergency of which a cell phone was required.   
  
Opening it, she called 911 and waited for the operator to answer.   
  
When she heard the voice on the other end of the phone, asking her to state her emergency, Serena said, "Yes, I'm at the park. There was a monster attack and my friends got hurt. Could you please send an ambulance down? I can't wake them up." Serena could hear the tears in her own voice. She zoned out for a moment until she realized that she had missed what the operator said.   
  
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Serena said.  
  
"Where are you?" the operator asked. Serena told the operator to the best of her ability and when she heard the voice say that the ambulance was on its way, she sighed with relief and hung up the phone. Placing the phone back in her sub-dimensional pocket, she went to check on the rest of the scouts, who were lying unconscious on the ground.   
  
Serena reluctantly checked for a pulse on each of the girls, deathly afraid that she wasn't going to find one. But when she felt the pulses of the scouts beating hard and regularly through their veins, she let out a sigh of relief. At least they didn't die because they got their memories back.   
  
Although Serena didn't know how she knew, she was positive that the girls got their memories back, but they would be fuzzy for a while. It's like she could feel the torment that their souls were in and it was ripping her apart. It was tearing at the thin hold that she had on her emotions. She was determined not to cry; she was going to be strong for them until she knew they were going to be all right.   
  
She heard the shrill of the ambulance's siren and saw it pull up in front of the park. Serena smiled slightly; the operator had understood her directions well enough to get the ambulance to the right location. Serena started to panic as the medics left the ambulance. She figured that having Sailor Moon at the scene with 4 human girls was not the best idea; it would cause suspicion.   
  
She slid into the bushes as the paramedics approached the girls. The paramedics looked around the area, keeping an eye out for the girl that had called for the ambulance. When they realized that they weren't going to find her, the picked up the girls one by one and placed them on a gurney, loading them up into the ambulance and taking them off to the hospital.   
  
As the ambulance disappeared from sight, Serena, still as Sailor Moon, slid out of the bushes, knowing that her friends would be all right. Physically anyway. She knew that the emotional scars that they received from getting their memories back would take a long time to heal.   
  
Still shaking from the situation, she looked for something helpful to do that would get her mind off of what had happened.   
  
"I know. I'll go get our stuff that we left back where we transformed. They would like that, especially Ami. She would hate it if her bookbag was missing with all her books in it. That's what I'll go do," Serena said, trying to fool herself that by doing this, she would be doing something helpful instead of trying to distract herself from her emotions.   
  
She half walked, half ran to where their stuff was carelessly dropped on the ground. She slowly knelt down and picked up her bookbag, but held it at a distance from her when something on it caught her eye. It was a small keychain in the shape of a pink bunny. Serena's eyes stung with tears as she remembered the day she got it. Ami had gotten it for her, saying that she saw it when she was out shopping for her mother and said that it reminded her of Serena. Although it wasn't much, Ami said that she had to get it for her.   
  
Tears came to her eyes as she remembered when Ami gave it to her. The small gift lifted her spirits because although it was small, the gift came from the heart. Looking at the keychain and remembering the feelings that it brought when she received it was too much for her emotions to handle. The precious hold that Serena had on her tears was lost and in the middle of the street, still as Sailor Moon, she began to cry.  
  
***  
The Ronin Warriors, still in their school uniforms, were walking home talking about the prank that Kento had pulled on Cye earlier that lunch hour. They were in the middle of laughing about Cye's reaction, when Sage's sharp ears picked up a sound.   
  
"You guys, be quiet. I hear something." The seriousness in Sage's voice shut up all the other guys and when they were silent, they were able to hear the same thing that Sage heard and it wasn't happy.   
  
The sound they heard was of a girl sobbing heart-wrenching tears of pain. With panicked looks at each other, they rushed off towards the depressing sound only to be stopped in their tracks. Not 10 feet away from them was Sailor Moon, huddled over on the ground, holding herself and sobbing loudly.   
  
Ryo took a step forward and said, "Sailor Moon? Are you ok?" Serena's ears perked up at Ryo's voice. Ah, so the Ronin Warriors have found me.   
  
Serena never told anyone, but she had known about the Ronin Warriors since she got her memories back and she had known that the 5 guys standing in front of her were the Ronin Warriors when she first saw them. When Serena, or Sailor Moon to the guys, hadn't responded, Ryo took another step forward, only to stop walking when Serena said in a quiet voice, "It's all my fault."  
  
"What's all your fault?" Cye asked.   
  
Serena looked up at them and the guys shivered at the look in her eyes. Her eyes held such sadness and pain for one so young, although she didn't look much younger than them; it was obvious that she had been through a lot.   
  
"This is all my fault. My friends are hurt because I failed to protect them. And the wounds that they have received go deeper than physical."  
  
"Um, no offense Sailor Moon, but what are you talking about?" Kento inquired.   
  
Serena stood up slowly and looked at each one of them before she started to tell her tale.   
  
"It all started on the Moon Kingdom 1000 years ago. When my mother, the Queen of the Silver Millennium and the Moon, Queen Serenity, realized that the other Sailor Scouts weren't enough to protect the royal family, namely my mother and I, we brought in my cousin and his four guards, all with special powers of their own, up to the moon to help the Sailor Scouts protect the royal family.   
  
"I was so excited. I could see my cousin and his fiancée.   
  
"But the Scouts were insulted. They felt that we thought that they weren't strong enough to protect me. So, when my cousin and his guards came, the Scouts welcomed them with less than open arms. But they didn't know they would fall in love. It was something that no one saw, but we didn't object. They were so in love, it brought such happiness to the Moon Kingdom, having 6 couples so very deep in love.   
  
"Everything was happy. Until the day when Queen Beryl, ruler of the Negaverse and all that is evil, attacked the Moon Kingdom. Her four evil generals, who had previously been good and involved romantically with the Scouts, captured the Scouts and their lovers, forcing the Scouts to watch their lovers die for betraying them. My Scouts watched their lovers die."   
  
Serena paused dramatically and looked up at them with a hard look in her eyes that chilled the Ronin Warriors to the bone.   
  
"They watched you die. They looked on, bound by an energy field, as their ex-lovers slowly drained your lives away, not able to do anything about it. They died too, from heartache and the physical pain they received from the generals. So my mother, in an attempt to preserve the future, sent us all 1000 years into the future in hopes that we would live normal lives and meet up again.   
  
"When I got my memories back about being the Moon Princess, I remembered you 5 and what happened to the Scouts in the last moments of their lives. So, to prevent them from the pain of their memories, I used the Silver Crystal to keep them from them.   
  
"But today, during a battle, they used too much power to be contained in their Sailor Scout form and reverted to the state where they could handle that much power. They turned into the princesses of their planets and with that came all the memories. I tried to stop it, but it was too late."   
  
Serena paused to draw in a shaky breath. As she closed her eyes to calm herself down, the Ronin Warriors felt sympathy for this girl standing in front of them. Opening her eyes, Serena continued.   
  
"They had gained their memories back and there was nothing I could do but stand back and watch their souls be ripped apart." Tears had started dripping down her face again; the Ronin Warriors felt a great sadness. She had been through death and pain much more intensely than they had or probably ever would.   
  
But, however convincing her story was, they had no proof that she was telling the truth.   
"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Rowen asked suspiciously.  
  
"Because, I know all about you, Rowen of the Strata," Serena said, trying valiantly to get her tears under control. She heard all the others gasp and Rowen just stared at her, eyes widened in shock. She gave a small smile at their shock and continued down the line of Ronin Warriors.   
  
"I know all of you. Kento of Hardrock, Cye of Torrent, Sage of Halo, and Ryo of Wildfire. Oh, Ryo." Serena gave Ryo a tender smile.   
  
"My cousin. I've missed you. I remember watching you die. When Mia was killed by Beryl on the Moon, you threw yourself head first into the battle, but only to get yourself killed." Serena sniffed loudly as tears came streaming down her face.   
  
In a shaky voice, clouded with tears, she said, "I held your hand as you died, only to get pulled away by Prince Endymion, who was trying so hard to protect me. But, nothing ended well that day. We all died, but luckily, we're here today."   
  
Suddenly, someone burst through the bushes.   
  
"Sailor Moon?" Serena looked over to see Tuxedo Mask, or Darien to her, rushing towards her. He scooped her up into his arms and hugged her close to him as she cried.   
  
"What happened? I could feel your pain all the way from home. So I got over here as fast I could. Tell me, what happened?"  
  
"They got their memories of the Moon Kingdom back. The ones I was trying so hard to keep from them. The ones of watching the Ronin Warriors die."  
  
"Oh God," Darien said, "Are they all right?"  
  
"They will be. They're in the hospital," Serena whispered. Darien moved to take her away, but Serena stopped him.   
  
"What is it?" he asked her.  
  
"Their stuff. We have to get their stuff. That's what I came back here for." Serena hopped out of Darien's arms weakly and scooped up the Scouts book bags. Darien took three from her hand and put his other arm around her waist as they began to walk away.   
  
Serena stopped walking and turned around to face the Ronin Warriors. Giving them a haunting smile, she said, "I'll see you guys in a couple of days." She continued to walk away with Darien, leaving the guys watching with amazement etched on their faces.   
  
As the two disappeared from sight, Sage said, "Wow, that is a lot to take in."  
  
"We were alive 1000 years ago?" Cye asked.  
  
"And on the moon?" Kento added.  
  
"I think she's a little off, if you ask me," Cye said.  
  
"She can't be, she knew our names and Mia's. She has to be telling the truth. Plus, she knew that we were the Ronin Warriors. No one knows except for us, Mia, and Yuli," Rowen rationalized.   
  
"But her story. It sounded so happy. Yet so sad. I mean, imagining watching the people you love die. That has to be harsh," Ryo said gruffly.  
  
"Yeah," the guys agreed.   
  
Their thoughts weighed down with depression, they made their way home, wondering more than ever who Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts were, especially considering Sailor Moon said that she would see them in a couple of days. But as they walked, they got no answers, only more questions.  
  
***  
The farther Serena and Darien got from the Ronin Warriors and the farther they walked, the more tired Serena got. Darien looked down at his love with worry and compassion. She's so tired. I wonder if she can make it home.   
  
Serena, who almost read his thoughts said, "I have to go to the hospital. I have to see them." Looking up at his worried expression, she said, "Don't worry. I can make it. Just let me detransform so I can even go to the hospital." They pulled off the road into a grove of trees where they detransformed. As Serena detransformed, she almost collapsed into Darien's arms.   
  
As he held her, he said, "You're just lucky my car is around here somewhere, or else you wouldn't be going to the hospital to see them."   
  
After a few minutes of searching for his car, Darien finally found it, and put Serena, who was still in his arms, in the passenger seat and the Scouts' stuff in the back. Getting in the driver's side, he turned on the engine and made his was towards the hospital, asking Serena for directions, who answered absently. When they pulled up in front of the hospital, Serena snapped to attention and flew out of the car, Darien a couple of steps behind her. Serena practically ran into the hospital and up to the front desk.   
  
Tapping her fingers on the counter, Serena asked the lady at the front desk, "Excuse me, but did 4 girls just come into the hospital from the park?"   
  
The lady at the front desk looked up and said, "Yes, 4 unidentified girls came in just a minute ago. Why, do you know them?"  
  
"Yes, they're friends of mine."  
  
"Then, would you mind giving us information on them? We don't know who they are and we can't do anything for them until we know."   
  
Serena nodded and said, "Sure. Hey Darien, could you get the girls' ID cards and social security cards out of their bags for the nice lady?"  
  
"Sure," Darien said before taking off to the car. Serena turned back to the lady and said,   
"Well, could I see them?"  
  
"As soon as I get their names and enter them into the computer, I'll tell you where your friends are."   
  
After a couple minutes of silence, Darien came in carrying a hand full of cards. The nurse behind the desk looked at the set of them and entered the information into the computer. Serena was nervously fidgeting as she waited for the nurse to finish with the computer.   
  
"There we go," the nurse said as she handed Serena the cards.   
  
Serena handed Darien the cards, which he put in his pocket, as Serena said, "Well?"  
  
"You're friends are on the second floor in rooms 46 and 47."   
  
Serena took off and called over her shoulder, "Thank you."   
  
She and Darien reached the elevator and Serena jabbed the button, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for the elevator to reach the bottom. The door slowly opened and Darien and Serena stepped into the elevator. Darien pressed the button for the 2nd floor and the elevator doors closed and with a jerk, the elevator was taking them up to the second floor.   
As soon as the elevator stopped and the door opened, Serena burst out into the hallway and began looking frantically for rooms 46 and 47. When she found room 46, she looked across the hallway and found room 47. Breathing in a sigh of relief, she opened the door for room 46 slowly with Darien standing behind her. Serena walked into the room and found Raye and Ami on beds that were facing each other. Serena walked over to Raye and swallowed down tears of pain and guilt. This is all my fault. If I were better at protecting them, they wouldn't be in the hospital.   
  
Carefully, Serena reached over and grabbed Raye's hand. Raye unconsciously closed her hand around Serena's and Serena allowed a couple of tears to escape from her eyes.   
  
"Oh God, Raye, can you wake up, please, and tell me you're all right?" As if to reassure Serena that she was all right, Raye opened her eyes and looked at her.   
  
"Serena?"  
  
"Yes Raye, I'm so glad you're ok."   
  
With pain in her eyes, Raye said, "Is it true?"   
  
Serena could hear how weak her voice was and said, "What do you remember?"  
  
"I remember being tied up, I remember Jedite, and I remember him killing the man I love."  
  
"Do you remember what the guy looked like?"   
  
Raye searched her memory and said, "No, I don't. In my memories, he's all fuzzy." Serena breathed an internal sigh of relief. It meant less explaining for her to do later of something that she really didn't want to explain.   
  
"But, is it true?" Raye asked again, her voice quavering with unshed tears. Serena looked at her regretfully and nodded slightly. Tears started to stream down Raye's face and soon, she was crying.   
  
Serena looked at the raven-haired girl on the bed with surprise. Raye was the strongest person she knew and she never cried. Serena was almost unsure on how to handle a crying Raye. What she did was sit Raye up and gather her in her arms and comfort her as she cried.   
Raye clutched Serena as the pain of her memories washed over her. Raye was glad that she didn't remember exactly who it was that she watched die. What if it was someone she knew and she had to face that person? She couldn't handle it.   
  
Raye's tears calmed down eventually and when they did, Serena looked over to see Ami sitting up. Leaving Raye's side, she went over to Ami and put her arms around her. Ami, who was still stunned from her memories, wrapped her arms around Serena as well, letting only a few tears escape her eyes.   
  
"Oh Ames, I'm so glad you're alright. Are you going to be ok?"  
  
"Aside from the painful new memories of the Silver Millennium, I think I'll be ok in a few days. Don't worry Serena," Ami said in response to the worry etched on Serena's face.   
  
"Well, I worry when my friends are in pain, you know?"  
  
"Well, I think you better go check on Lita and Mina, see how they're doing." Serena nodded and went across the hallway to find both Lita and Mina sitting up in their beds.   
  
She went over to Lita first and put a hand on her shoulder as Lita's memories came back.   
  
"Are you alright, Lita?"  
  
"Yeah, I just wish that Nephrite was still alive so I could pound his ass."   
  
"Yeah, I know what you mean, but you're going to be ok with it?"  
  
"I'll live," Lita said quietly.  
  
"Good." Serena gave Lita a quick hug and then went over to Mina, who had a rather pained expression on her face.   
  
"Are you ok, Mina?"  
  
"What happened Serena? In the last moments of the Silver Millennium, what happened?"  
  
"I don't know," Serena lied, "I was busy dealing with Darien and Queen Beryl. That's all I remember."   
  
Serena hated doing it, but she had to lie. If the Scouts knew that she knew anything, they would demand that she tell them everything she knew and she couldn't do that.   
  
"But, you are going to be ok?"  
  
"I'll live," Mina said ruefully. Letting go of a sigh of relief, Serena slumped into the chair and almost fell asleep when Darien came in.   
  
"What is it Darien?" Serena asked, her voice sounding weak and tired.  
  
"I'm here to tell you that the doctors said that now that the girls are awake, they can go home as soon as they make sure the girls are all right."  
  
"That's great, Darien," Serena said, while yawning. Darien shook his head at her and went over to pick her up.   
  
Looking at Mina, he said, "I'm taking her home. I'll come back to get you guys afterwards, ok?"  
  
"Sure thing, Darien," Mina said as she watched Darien carry Serena out of the room.   
  
When they disappeared from sight, Mina thought, I hope we'll all be ok. Or else, the pain will consume us.   



	9. A Year Abroad Chapter 8

Serena wearily pulled herself out of bed the next Monday morning, extremely exhausted from the last two nights. Darien had stayed until the night before, only leaving Sunday night because he had to go to school the next day, leaving Serena to deal with the 4 girls.   
  
Although they were safe from the pain of their memories while they were awake, they were defenseless against it when they were asleep, resulting in many nightmares that cause them to wake up screaming. Serena, every time, would get up and comfort the person who just had the nightmare. It had left her and the scouts emotionally drained, leaving them very tired.   
  
Serena padded over to her closet, where she pulled out a clean uniform. Getting dressed, she went downstairs to find the other girls in more or less the same state of lethargy and exhaustion.   
  
"Hey guys, how are you feeling?" Serena asked while yawning.  
  
"Like hell," the girls said simultaneously, their voices portraying just how tired they were.   
  
Serena took a close look at all of the girls. Ami's hair was a little mussed, Lita's hair was falling out of it's ponytail, Mina's face lacked it's usual joy, and Raye had dark circles under her eyes. To Serena, they looked in no shape to go to school, especially considering that they had gotten some awfully painful memories back, memories that would make anyone less than extremely strong go practically insane.   
  
But, they had to go to school, or so Serena thought. Besides, Ami would hate to miss a minute of school. And, also, they'll have the guys there to help them deal, even though the guys won't know what's going on. Serena calmed down, knowing that the Ronin Warriors would help them in any way the can. It also didn't hurt that 4 out of the 5 guys were in love with the other Sailor Scouts.   
  
Serena sighed with resignation and said, "Well, we better get going to school. We're going to be late as it is." All she got were a few grumbled replies.  
  
***  
Rowen sat in his physics class, staring solemnly at the empty seat next to his, Ami's seat. With a quick glance up at the clock, he noted that she was 10 minutes late. Ami Mizuno was never late to class. The sound of the door opening slightly shook him out of it.   
  
Rowen's head snapped towards the door and as it inched open, he saw Ami walk into the room and his whole world brightened up. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he knew he was in love with her. She was smart, sharp, kind, and absolutely hilarious once someone got to know her. But, there was something off about her that day and he wasn't the only one who had noticed it.   
  
"Ms. Mizuno, are you alright?" their teacher asked.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine," Ami said, "Sorry I'm late. It won't happen again." Without any explanation as to why she was late, she briskly walked over to her seat and slid into it. Rowen just stared at her, his mouth slightly agape. What was wrong with her? Her hair was a dull color of blue when it was usually shiny, she had deep circles under her eyes that displayed the lack of sleep, and her face had a haggard look.   
  
"Are you ok, Ami?" Rowen whispered.   
  
Ami, who had her head buried in her arms, lifted her head slightly and said, "I'm ok. Just tired." Rowen knew that there was something that she wasn't telling him and he was determined to find out what it was.   
  
All through the rest of class, his attention was elsewhere then what the teacher was talking about. He was worried about Ami and he had good reason to be. She was late and she wasn't paying attention in class, two characteristics that Ami never displayed. The teacher decided to end class early because he wasn't feeling well and when he had announced that class was over, Ami was up and out of her seat faster than Rowen was. He raced to catch her as she took off down the hallway, calling her name as he tried to catch up to her, but she only ignored him.   
  
It was quite an effort, but eventually, he caught up to her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her aside.   
  
"Ami, what's wrong? Why didn't you answer me when I called your name?"  
  
"I'm fine, Rowen," Ami said through gritted teeth.  
  
"No, you're not. Please, tell me, what's wrong?" Rowen pleaded. Ami tried to wrench her arm away, but his grip was too tight. Instead, she looked up into his eyes to tell him to let her go and when she did, the pleading look in his eyes created a déjà vu that she could have done without.   
  
The moment she saw his eyes, she had a quick flash from her painful memory from the moon kingdom of her lover looking at her with the same pleading look and it scared her. Ami opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.   
  
"Well?" Rowen asked, still trying to find an answer. The look in his eyes had shaken Ami up too much; she had to get out of there. Tears starting to form in her eyes, she finally jerked her arm away.   
  
"I-I have to go," she said, her voice choked with tears. Ami ran from Rowen as fast as she could, leaving Rowen standing there, his heart filled with worry for the one he loved.  
  
***  
Lita sat in English class, trying desperately to stay awake. No matter how hard she tried, she found herself dozing off no matter what. Her eyes fell shut and she was just about to fall asleep when she felt someone shake her shoulder. Her eyes snapped open and she looked left to see Kento looking at her with a worried expression on his face.   
  
"Hey, are you ok? You're falling asleep."  
  
"Yeah, I'm ok," Lita said, giving a reassuring smile, "I'm just tired."   
  
Kento looked at her suspiciously and said, "Ok, if you say so." Lita, who was now trying to ease Kento's suspicions, turned to listen to her English teacher as she talked about a short story that they were supposed to have read.   
  
"Now, as we know in this story, the girl had to watch her lover die, is that right?" A few heads nodded.   
  
Lita's breath hitched and she closed her eyes to fend off the tears. She gripped the sides of the desk until her knuckles were white and the wood started to crack, all in order to keep her from losing it. Kento's head turned at the sound of the wood cracking and he gave Lita a suspicious look that was filled with worry. There was something wrong with her.   
  
"Good, now, this brought a pain to her that was described to us in the story. She felt like her heart had been physically ripped out of her chest and she didn't have the will to live. I'm sure none of you have felt that heartache, but what might you do if this happened to you? Lita, what would you do?" her teacher called out to her.   
  
Lita's eyes opened wide and she stared at her teacher in disbelief, like she couldn't believe that her teacher was daring to ask her that question. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as memories started flooding back in. It was like the dam she had built to keep her memories from surfacing when she was awake had broken down and now she was helpless against the bombardment of emotions that were yet very raw.   
  
Everyone was looking at Lita expediently, waiting for her to answer. Lita always had something to say about everything and the class usually looked forward to hearing what she had to say, but her silence was unnerving.   
  
"Lita, are you all right?" her teacher asked. Lita drew in a shaky breath, ignoring her teacher's question, and said, "No, no. I can't do this. I can't."   
  
With that, Lita rapidly stood up and left the room, leaving everyone staring agape at her. Little did she know that she was broadcasting her emotions for anyone to pick up.  
  
***  
In biology class, Mina felt her best friend's pain acutely. It was like a voice cried out, "Help me!" Mina's body froze as she felt Lita's distress and without warning, she pushed her chair out and stood up, running out of the classroom.   
  
"Mina, wait! Where are you going?" Cye asked as she bolted from the room. Mina didn't answer. She just ran, searching for Lita and a way to help her.  
  
***  
Raye was in history class, answering a question about an ancient Japanese myth and it's affect on society when her psychic powers picked up on Lita's emotions, strengthened through the link that she shared with Lita, the same that she shared with all of the other Sailor Scouts. Raye paused mid-sentence as the pain of Lita's emotions hit her.   
  
Raye flinched and her teacher, a male in his mid-30s, said, "Miss Hino, are you all right?" Raye didn't answer as she rushed out of her desk and out of the room.   
  
"Raye, where are you going?" Sage asked, confused about Raye's strange behavior.   
  
She had come into class late and she looked like she hadn't gotten much sleep. She basically looked sick and had told Sage that she was feeling fine every time he had asked her. When Sage called after her, Raye didn't even say anything. She just turned around and gave him a quick smile before leaving the room.   
  
***  
Serena, who probably had the best links with all of the Scouts, was in the middle of doing the math problems that her math teacher had given them when she felt Lita's pain. Serena's maternal instincts kicked in and she set her pencil down and ran out of the classroom, ignoring her teacher's cries for her to stop.   
  
Ryo only watched as Serena, who was quickly becoming one of his best friends, rushed out of the classroom with a pained expression on her face. He knew that once Serena got something into her head, there was no stopping her, but it didn't stop him from worrying about her. As she left the room in a hurry, Ryo knew that he was going to figure out what was up with her that morning.  
  
***  
Ami was running home when she felt the same thing that all the others had felt. She froze in her tracks and turned around to throw a glance at the school, which was set a little distantly into the horizon.   
  
"Lita," she whispered. She knew how Lita felt. Something had obviously unexpectedly reminded her of the memories that had plagued her throughout the weekend, just as the pleading look in Rowen's eyes had reminded Ami. Without hesitation, she ran back to the school to find and help Lita.  



	10. A Year Abroad Chapter 9

"What is going on?" Kento yelled as his fist slammed into one of the gym lockers. The guys were supposed to be getting ready for gym; they were the only ones left in the locker room. But, instead of getting ready, they were sitting on one of the benches and they were discussing the girls' strange behavior.   
  
"I don't know, Kento," Sage said calmly, "But we're going to get to the bottom of this." Kento squeezed his eyes shut against the pain.   
  
He knew there was something wrong with Lita and it pained him to know that. Seeing her run out of English with tears with her eyes had greatly disturbed him. He loved Lita, although he hadn't told anyone yet, and seeing her hurt made him hurt and all he wanted to do was make the pain go away.   
  
"Well, Lita was crying before she ran out of class, so whatever it is, it's bad," Kento said quietly, his tone of voice the opposite of what was going on inside of him.  
  
"And it involves all of them," Cye said, thinking about what happened with Mina that morning.  
  
"And according to all of you, all of them, except for Ami, left class at the same time. That's the strange part," Rowen said, leaning against one of the lockers with his arms crossed.   
  
There was something strange about these girls that Rowen couldn't just put his finger on. Some of the information that they had gotten about them could only bring up suspicions about them that Rowen was going to have to look into at a later date.   
  
"I say we go and find them and demand to know what's going on," Ryo said. These girls had become his friends and he was dammed if he was going to let this slip by his notice.   
  
"I say you're right, Ryo," said Sage. Ryo nodded and the 5 left the locker room, completely forgetting about gym class.   
  
***  
Serena sat down at the spot where the girls and the guys normally ate lunch. The courtyard that she was in was empty; everyone was either in a class or in study hall. It was still third period and instead of making a cake in home economics, she was chasing down Lita, who had magically disappeared on them and managed to block her emotions from them.   
  
She put her head in her hands with exhaustion and sighed deeply. Serena could feel tears of frustration prick her eyes, but she tried to ignore them. This was a lot for Serena to deal with. Having the girls get their memories back had brought Serena's back to the surface. When Serena learned that she was the Moon Princess, she had received the memories of her years in the Moon Kingdom, particularly the ones of her last night on the Moon Kingdom, the ones where the Scouts and the Ronin Warriors both died.   
  
When Serena received these memories, she purposely kept them from the Scouts so they wouldn't have to go through the same rude awakening that she did and feel the pain of getting their memories back. She tried to protect them and it had backfired. They had still gotten hurt. Maybe I just should have let them get their memories back naturally. Maybe it would hurt less.   
  
Serena heard footsteps and lifted her head to see who was in the courtyard. Her eyes widened when she saw the Ronin Warriors walking towards her and, judging by the look on their faces, they wanted to talk to her about what was going on with the girls. Serena commanded her body to move her away from the guys so she wouldn't have to explain something that was too painful to explain, but her body was frozen in place.   
  
As they were within 5 paces of the table, her body finally started to move and she was just starting to walk away when Kento and Ryo grabbed her arms, preventing her from going anywhere. Her face set in a grimace, she turned around to face the Ronin Warriors.   
  
"Can I help you with something?" she asked, as if nothing was wrong.  
  
"Yeah, you can. What is going on with you guys?" Sage asked.  
  
"What do you mean?" Serena asked, feigning innocence.  
  
"And don't give us that innocent act," Rowen said, "You and the girls are hiding something from us and we want to know what's going on."   
  
Serena's shoulders slumped in defeat and she said, "I can't tell you."  
  
"What do you mean you can't tell us?" Kento demanded.  
  
"I'm sure that you guys have figured out that there are things about us that we can't tell you."   
  
Without waiting for them to answer, she continued, "Well, this is one of those things. I promise you, all will be explained one day, but not now."  
  
"Why not now?" Ryo asked. Serena opened her mouth to speak when she looked beyond the guys.   
Her eyes opened wide with shock as she saw Lita standing there, underneath a tree, looking at Serena with tears in her eyes. And she was glowing. Lita was letting her emotions rule her powers and her powers were reacting to the commands of her emotions.   
  
At the moment, only Serena could see the green aura surrounding Lita, but if Lita was allowed to continue on like she was, everyone would be able to see it; Serena could only see it right now because she had been sensitized to the auras.   
  
"Lita," she whispered. When Lita's symbol started to glow on her forehead, Serena cried out, "No!" and ran for Lita, deftly escaping the clutches of Kento and Ryo. She ran over to Lita and placed her hand over her forehead so the guys wouldn't see the symbol of Jupiter on her forehead.   
  
"Lita, please. Calm down," Serena begged, her voice quavering with tears, "You have to get control of your emotions."  
  
"I can't," Lita whispered, "And I don't want to. I've kept this up inside of me for too long. And it's not just the memories I've received in the last two days. It's everything." Tears started rolling down Lita's face as she continued.   
  
"I'm tired of all the pain, Serena."   
  
Lita closed her eyes and clenched her right hand into a fist.   
  
"I just can't take it anymore!" she yelled as she hurled her fist into the tree beside her. There was a small explosion of lightning as Lita threw her power into that punch and a shower of wood splinters as Lita's hand made a hole in the tree.   
  
"Lita! Stop it!" Serena yelled as Raye, Ami, and Mina approached, having seen the small outburst.   
  
"Lita, please. Get yourself under control," Raye pleaded.  
  
"Listen to her, Lita. Please, we need you. Don't do this," Mina cried, her eyes starting to glisten with tears.   
  
"You're a part of the team, Lita. Please, calm down," Ami said, her throat choking on a sob as she said the last words. Lita looked confused for a moment, like she was battling something inside herself and Serena took that moment to grab her arm and pull her out of the courtyard, leaving the guys there wondering what was going on.   
  
The guys' eyes were wide with disbelief. What had happened when Lita punched the tree? As Rowen, Sage, Kento, and Cye watched the girls walk away, Ryo went over and investigated the tree that Lita had just punched.   
  
"Oh my God," Ryo said.  
  
"What is it, Ryo?" Rowen asked.  
  
"Come look at this," Ryo commanded, not believing what he was seeing. The guys came over and gasped at what they saw. In the middle of the tree was a fist-sized hole that went halfway through the tree.   
  
"That's not possible," Rowen said.  
  
"How could she make a mark like that?" Sage asked.  
  
"I don't know, but I intend to find out," Ryo said, "Come on. Let's go see if we can find the girls." The guys went in the direction of the girls, but they would never find them.  



	11. A Year Abroad Chapter 10

Serena pulled Lita to the back of the school, a place where the kids that smoked or did drugs went during their breaks. Right now, there was no one there, so Serena figured it was safe to talk openly about this now.   
  
"Lita, what did you think you were doing? The guys could have seen that little outburst of power and then we would have to tell them. Do you really want to blow our secret identities?"  
  
"No, I'm sorry Serena, but I can't take this anymore," Lita said, her throat constricted with tears.  
  
"We know, Lita," Ami said, "But you just have to deal with it, like us. We know it's hard, but we have each other to lean on." Ami paused for a moment, her eyes spotting Lita's hand.   
  
"Oh my God, Lita!" Ami exclaimed, looking at Lita's bloodied hand. She reached for it to bandage it up, but Lita pulled away.   
  
"I can't do any of it anymore. I won't!"  
  
"Do any more of what?" Mina asked cautiously, afraid of what the answer would be. But, she never got her answer.   
  
The Scouts heard a loud crash and turned their heads to find a droid coming in from above.   
  
"Ok, you guys. You know what we have to do," Serena said, "MOON CRYSTAL POWER!"  
  
"MARS STAR POWER!"  
  
"MERCURY STAR POWER!"  
  
"VENUS STAR POWER!" And after a moment of hesitation, "JUPITER STAR POWER!" The 5 scouts jumped into the air, landing atop of the school buildings and ran towards the droid by way of the roof.  
  
***  
The guys turned around when they heard a resonating crash. Immediately regretting not carrying their kanji balls at all times, they ran towards the sound and stopped when they got to the courtyard. In the middle was a large droid that looked like it was patiently awaiting the arrival of something or someone. The droid itself looked like a large robot, done in colors of purple and blood red.   
  
As people began to gather around the sound of the crash and began screaming in terror, the Sailor Scouts approached the scene, running on the rooftops.   
  
They stopped at the edge of the roof and Sailor Moon cried, "Stop right there!" The droid turned and addressed Sailor Moon by shooting beams of energy at her and the Scouts, causing them to jump off of the roof and onto the ground.   
  
Sailor Venus, wanting to prevent the destruction of land and people, concentrated her powers and began her attack.   
  
"VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!" A stream of light and what looked small hearts flew towards the droid, hitting it dead on. The attack made the droid falter and in that moment, Sailor Mercury took the time to use her attack.   
  
"SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!" she cried as ice-cold water hurled towards the droid, creating a block of ice around it. The other three Scouts then combined their power together to deliver the final blow against the weak droid.   
  
"MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!"  
  
"JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!"  
  
"MOON SCEPTER ELIMINATION!" The combined attacks destroyed the droid easily and people began to applaud the Sailor Scouts, but they just ignored the crowd around them.   
  
The Sailor Scouts, who were right next to the Ronin Warriors, began their conversation that they had been having before they were forced to beat the droid.   
  
Lita began to walk away and Serena cried out, "Jupiter, get back here. Don't walk away from me. We're not finished here yet!"  
  
"I told you, I'm not doing any of it anymore. I can't deal with the pain." Lita turned around and started to take her tiara off, a move that would reveal to all who she really was since her tiara used its power to protect her identity and removing it would deactivate that power.   
  
Sailor Moon stepped away from the other Sailor Scouts and yelled loudly, "Don't you dare! If you reveal your identity, you'll blow everyone else's."  
  
"I don't care. I cannot do this anymore, Sailor Moon. But, I don't expect you to understand." Serena looked shocked.  
  
"You don't think I understand?" Serena asked, "You don't think I don't know what it feels like to live with the memory of a loved one dying? Well, let me tell you something. How do you think I felt when I was forced to watch you guys die when we fought Beryl in the North Pole? How do you think I felt being told not to help you guys when you went off to fight the Doom and Gloom girls and then have you guys die in front of me? How do you think I felt watching Tuxedo Mask give up his life for me with Beryl? How do you think I felt when we fought Ann and Alan and I watched you get hurt?   
  
"I've been through so much more than you have, Jupiter, and I got through it. If I could, then you can, too. And your case is different. I knew who I was watching die. You're grieving over a ghost lover. You don't even remember who he is." Everyone in the courtyard was staring aghast at the Sailor Scouts. Everyone thought that the Sailor Scouts were perfect, but here they were, showing human pain and fighting amongst themselves.   
  
Kento could feel for Sailor Jupiter because he knew how she felt. When Dais and Talpa told him that his Hardrock armor was the same as the Warlords' and could be used for the same destruction and evil, he had refused to believe it and didn't want to fight anymore because he knew the type of destruction he could cause. Kento doubted his own ability to go on and it seemed to him that Sailor Jupiter was having the same problem that he had.   
  
Lita's fist clenched as she felt Serena's words like a whip. She knew Serena was right, but she couldn't deal with the pain right now. She wanted to take a break from it and let things settle before fighting again.   
  
Taking out her transformation pen, she said, "I can't do this. I won't." Closing her fist around the pen, she threw it to the ground behind her and it landed by Rowen's feet. Rowen picked it up and studied it, noting the Jupiter symbol on the top of the pen.   
  
"No, you can't do that," Mina said.  
  
"We need you, you're an integral part of the team," Ami cried.  
  
"Without you, we can't do it," Raye said in response to Lita's throwing down the transformation pen.   
  
Serena closed her eyes against the tears and said, "You pick the transformation pen up, Jupiter. You can't quit this team. We need you too much. I need you." She walked over to Lita and put her hand on her shoulder.   
  
"You're most of my strength. You believe in me when no one else does. I can't fight without you. I don't think I could live without you as my friend and teammate."   
Lita jerked her shoulder out of Serena's hand and whispered so no one but Serena could hear,   
"I can't do it anymore, Serena."  
  
"I know, Lita," Serena whispered quietly.  
  
"I won't do it anymore," Lita said, a little louder this time, "I'll see you guys at home." Lita walked away and Serena started to cry. Mina was sobbing, huddled on the ground, Ami was quietly crying, and there were tears running down Raye's face.   
  
"No, Jupiter. You can't!" Serena yelled. Lita turned around and said, "I'm sorry, Princess," before leaping onto the roof of the school and running off.   
  
Rowen, who was still inspecting the transformation pen, looked at it with new eyes. Is this where her power to transform comes from? So, who is she when she's not Sailor Jupiter? Rowen thought. Over the past month and a half, he had been getting clues as to who the Sailor Scouts were, but he still couldn't piece them together to form a solid argument. It was like something was blocking him from figuring it out. But, he knew that there was a connection between the exchange students, Serena, Raye, Mina, Ami, and Lita, and the Sailor Scouts, but he didn't know what it was. Yet. Shaking his head, he handed the pen to Kento, who looked at it with sadness in his eyes.   
  
As Kento held the pen, he could feel Sailor Jupiter's pain. It's like holding the pen gave him a link into her emotions and Kento found himself wishing he could find out who she was. Serena, still as Sailor Moon, walked over to Kento and held out her hand.   
  
"Could I have it back? Please?" Serena pleaded.  
  
"Sure," Kento said as he handed it to her. "What is it?" he asked.   
  
Serena looked up into his eyes and said, "It was a promise." The guys, although they didn't know what was going on with the Scouts, understood the symbolic meaning of the pen.   
  
It was like their kanji balls. To the Ronin Warrior, the kanji balls represented a promise to always be ready to fight, to never back down in the face of evil, and to always help no matter what. They knew that the transformation pen meant the same thing and they empathized with Sailor Moon and the other scouts. Sailor Jupiter had broken an oath she took when she received that pen and it hurt to know that.   
  
"Thank you," Serena said to Kento as she cradled the pen close to her chest.   
  
"You guys, give me your pens," she said to the girls. The girls took out their pens and handed them to Serena; they knew what she was going to do. She was going to give their pens to people who could protect them because if Lita didn't fight, none of them would fight. Of course, Serena would keep the Silver Crystal, but she wouldn't use it unless it was an emergency.   
  
Serena looked at the four sticks in her hands with tears in her eyes and then proceeded to hand them out to the Ronin Warriors. She gave Ami's to Rowen, Raye's to Sage, Lita's to Kento, and Mina's to Cye.   
  
"I want you to look after these until we're a team again. I trust you guys with the fate of the world and the future. Please, don't let me down," Serena said with an edge of sadness in her voice.  
  
"Don't worry, we'll take care of them," Cye said.   
  
Sage, who had been pretty quiet throughout the whole ordeal, looked at the red stick in his hand and recognized the symbol at the top as the symbol for the planet Mars. As he looked over the stick, he got a flash of déjà vu. He remembered seeing Raye holding something that looked like this a few weeks ago while they sat in math together. Why did Raye have something like this? Sage wondered as he looked at the beautiful pen.   
  
"Come on, guys, let's go home," Serena said as she started to walk off. The girls, still as the Sailor Scouts, followed and left the courtyard, walking into the school building and out the front entrance. They walked over to a deserted alley next to the school and detransformed for the last time. With long faces, they walked out of the alley and separated, Mina going in the direction of home to where Lita was and the others back into school.  
  
***  
Meanwhile, back in the courtyard, the crowd of people had dissipated, all of them talking about how the Sailor Scouts were breaking up. Now, there was only the Ronin Warriors left in the courtyard, sitting at their usual table with the Scouts' transformation pens in their hands.   
  
"I can't believe she trusted us with these," Sage said.  
  
"She must really have faith in us," said Cye. The guys just looked at the pens in solemn silence, not believing that they had been entrusted with the very things that allowed the scouts to call on their power.   
  
"They must feel really helpless," Kento said, "I mean, if your key for unlocking your power was given to someone else, wouldn't you feel a little insecure?"  
  
"That's really good insight," Ryo said, not believing the maturity in Kento's voice.  
  
"Yeah, well I have them every once in a while," Kento said with a small smirk on his face.   
  
Rowen, who had been meticulously studying Sailor Mercury's transformation pen, said, "Hey guys, how did they get here so fast?"  
  
"Who?" Sage asked.  
  
"The Sailor Scouts. They were here moments after that monster attacked. They either had to be really close or they were already here," Rowen said, staring off into nothing, trying to figure it out.  
  
"What are you saying, Rowen?" Cye asked.  
  
"I'm saying that I think that the Sailor Scouts are..."  
  
"I cannot believe her!" Raye cried. The exclamation cut off Rowen, his train of thought lost, and the guys all turned to see Ami, Serena, and Raye entering the courtyard.   
  
"Don't be mad at her, Raye. She's kept this inside of her for two years, never telling anyone. I think all of us, besides her, have broken down about this before," Ami said.  
  
"Yeah, Raye. Have a little more compassion," Serena accused.  
  
"I do have compassion. It's just masked by anger right now," Raye said with indignation.  
  
"Hey, guys, what's going on?" Ryo called out. Serena gave a jump and turned her head to see the Ronin Warriors, still in the courtyard.   
  
"Oh, hey guys," Raye said, walking over to the table and sitting down next to Sage. The other girls sat down, Ami in between Cye and Rowen and Serena in between Ryo and Kento. Raye buried her head in her hands and Sage, who had just put Sailor Mars' transformation pen in his pocket, put his arm around Raye in a friendly gesture and hugged her close to him.   
  
"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.  
  
"Oh, I suppose I can tell you now," Serena said. "Today is the anniversary of a close friend's death. She was killed in a gang attack. We were all close friends, but she and Lita were best friends," Serena said, reciting the story that she, Ami, Mina, and Raye had come up with.   
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," Ryo said. By now, the transformation pens had disappeared from sight, safely tucked away in the pockets of the Ronin Warriors.  
  
"It's ok," said Serena, "It's just that on the anniversary, the memories just come back hard and Lita is the most affected. She never really mourned for her death. I guess she couldn't hold it in anymore."   
  
Serena drew in a breath and asked, "Kento?"  
  
"Yeah," he said.  
  
"Could you come over to our place after school today and talk to Lita? I'm sure she'll talk to you. Right now, Mina is on her way home to talk to her, but although Mina's her best friend, she hasn't opened up to Mina yet. I think she just might talk to you," Serena pointed out.  
  
"Why do you think she'll talk to me?" Kento asked.  
  
"Because she trusts you and she doesn't know you as well as she knows us. Maybe the fact that you don't know everything will open her up."  
  
"Ok, I'll try," Kento promised.  
  
"Hey," Ryo said, "How about we all go and then afterwards, if Lita's feeling better, we can all head over to our place and you guys can meet Mia. You haven't met her yet."   
  
Serena smiled and said, "We'd love to. Ok, so, after school. We'll go over to our place, see if we can cheer up Lita, then head over to your place, which is totally cool, Ryo. I've been wanting to meet your girlfriend for a while now."  
  
"Yeah, well she wants to meet all of you guys," Ryo said, "She's heard so much about you."  
  
"Really, how?" Serena asked.  
  
"Well, you girls are all we talk about," Ryo said.   
  
Raye lifted her head out of her hands and looked at Sage with an eyebrow raised.   
  
"All you guys talk about?" she asked Sage, who blushed and said, "Yeah, well, basically." Raye only smiled.  



	12. A Year Abroad Chapter 11

Rowen sat with Ami in history class that afternoon, but for once, he wasn't paying attention to Ami. Actually, he was focused on Sailor Mercury's transformation pen instead. He was holding it in his hand, running his thumb up and down the stick.   
  
Actually, neither of them was paying attention to the class anymore. They were supposed to be doing a worksheet, but they had both finished a while ago. Ami, instead of trying to get ahead in history, was watching Rowen play with her transformation pen. Ami sighed inaudibly and continued to stare at Rowen, who was oblivious to Ami staring at him.   
  
Ami's eyes traveled over Rowen's body, studying every inch of him. She never really had the chance to do it earlier and she regretted never finding the time to do it earlier. He really was a gorgeous sight to behold. His body was slender, but not too thin. Ami could see the muscle definition through his thin, white school shirt and she wondered, with a slight blush creeping up on her face, what he would look like with his shirt off. Shaking her head slightly to clear those thoughts, she let her eyes travel up to his face.   
  
From the position she was sitting at, she could see his profile almost perfectly. She started at his hair, his unruly blue hair with that one stubborn lock that was always falling over his forehead. She knew he couldn't stand that lock of hair; she found it absolutely sexy.   
  
She then shifted her gaze to look at his eyes, or what she could see of them. She knew from being around him that his eyes were extremely expressive, making him usually easy to read and Ami found that she could get lost in their deep blue color any day. Her eyes moved down his face, traveling over the smooth planes of his face and across his lips. Ami sighed. She had fantasies about those lips, whether they were kissing her or moving when he spoke.   
  
Her gaze moved down to his hands, where he continued to run his thumb across her transformation pen and she allowed herself to study them. The skin was slightly darker than hers, obviously from tanning, and his fingers were long and graceful. She watched as he caressed her transformation pen and she deeply wished that he would touch her like that.   
  
Her gaze remained focused on his hands when Rowen finally realized that he was being stared at. He turned his head to find Ami staring at his hands.   
  
"Hey Ami, whatcha looking at?" Ami, who had been rudely brought out of her fantasies, snapped back to attention.   
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"Why are you staring at my hands?" Rowen asked.   
  
In a quick attempt to cover up why she was staring at his hands, she said, "I was looking what you have in your hands. What is it?" she asked, feigning innocence. She knew exactly what it was.   
  
"It's a stick of some sort," Rowen said, "But a very beautiful one."  
  
"Indeed," Ami said, admiring her transformation pen. She never noticed it before, but it was very beautiful. Leave it to Rowen to point that out to her.   
  
"Can I see it?" she asked.  
  
"Sure," Rowen said, handing the stick over to Ami, their fingers brushing as it went from his hand to hers. When their fingers touched, it was like an electrical shock went up their arms and right to their brains, making them feel slightly light-headed.   
  
Rowen watched as Ami looked at the stick, a look of complete reverence in her eyes. Ami was now taking the time to admire her transformation pen. She looked at the symbol at the top and ran her finger over it.   
  
"Mercury," she said, her voice sounding slightly mystical. She had to resist the urge to call out the rest of her transformation line. Rowen stared at Ami.   
  
"Yeah, how did you know?"  
  
"The symbol at the top is the symbol for the planet Mercury. Legend has it that there once was a princess that lived on Mercury, making the planet lush with plants and animals and water. But, an evil queen came along and killed the royal family and in it's defense, Mercury covered itself up it a protective shell made of rock that would disappear when the princess came back to reclaim her throne," Ami murmured, referring to her past and future on Mercury.  
  
"How do you know so much about Mercury?" Ami looked at Rowen with a sly look on her face.   
  
"It interests me."  
  
"Oh," Rowen said to Ami's simple answer. Ami smiled and handed it back to Rowen.   
  
"Here you go."  
  
"Thanks," he said, his hand closing around it once more.  
  
"Why do you have it?" she asked.  
  
"I'm taking care of it for someone."  
  
"That someone must obviously trust you very much to leave something so beautiful in your hands," Ami said with a smirk.  
  
"Was that an insult?" he asked.  
  
"You can make it whatever you want," Ami said right before the bell rang, signaling the end of the day.   
  
"Well, I guess school's over," Rowen said, "Time to head over to your place."  
  
"Yep," she said.  
  
"You know, it occurs to me that I've never been to your house before."  
  
"And I've never been to yours," Ami shot back, "So I guess it's a day of new experiences for the both of us."  
  
"I guess so," Rowen said as they walked out of history together.  
  
***  
Serena stood in front of Ami's locker with Ryo, Cye, Kento, Sage, and Raye. Serena and Ryo were keeping a lookout for Ami and Rowen, Raye and Sage were talking about their experience with karate, and Cye and Kento were arguing about what to have for dinner that night. They were waiting for Ami and Rowen to show up so they could head over to the girls' house.   
  
Serena tapped her foot on the floor impatiently and said, "Where are they?"  
  
"I'm sure they're coming. School just got out and Rowen and Ami's class is all the way on the other side of school," Ryo said.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure you're right," Serena sighed. She looked over at Raye, who was leaning up against the lockers, talking to Sage and her attention was solely focused on him and vice versa.   
  
"You know, they really need to get together," she said.  
  
"Give them time," Ryo said, while completely agreeing with Serena. "But, they do really need to get together. All of them," Ryo continued, "I'm getting tired of hearing stuff only about the girls. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love all you guys, but when they're the only thing the guys talk about, it gets a little boring."  
  
"I know exactly what you mean," Serena said, "The girls practically talk about nothing except the guys. It's like, 'Sage this' and 'Cye that'. You guys are great, I just wish that everyone would get together and shut up already." The two friends were silent for a few moments.  
  
"Yeah, but there is one good thing about all of this," Ryo pointed out.  
  
"And what is that?" Serena asked, not wholly believing that there could be anything good about it.  
  
"Mia really wants to meet the girl who finally stole Sage's heart."  
  
"What do you mean?" Serena asked.  
  
"I mean, before you guys got here, Sage was the flirt king of Han'a High. There wasn't one girl who didn't want to go out with him and there actually still isn't, but now, he doesn't pay any attention to them at all. All he can think about is Raye."  
  
"Well, it's nice that Raye has a guy who absolutely adores her..."  
  
"Yeah, it is," Ryo said, interrupting Serena. But Serena just continued her sentence as if she hadn't been interrupted.   
  
"Even though she doesn't know it," she finished.  
  
"Excuse me? Could you say that again?" Ryo said, not believing that Raye hadn't noticed.  
  
"I'm saying that the girls have no clue that the guys have feelings for them beyond friendship."  
  
"Yeah, well, the guys don't either."  
  
"If only they knew," Serena said wistfully.  
  
"Yeah," Ryo agreed.   
  
Serena turned her head to the sound of laughter coming down the hall and found Ami and Rowen walking towards them. Rowen was smiling and Ami was laughing at something he had just said.   
"Wow, he got her to laugh," Serena said, "She was so depressed this morning I thought she would never smile again."  
  
"I heard about that," Ryo said, "You wouldn't believe how much Rowen was worried over her."  
  
"I can believe it. Now, there is another couple that needs to get together."  
  
"Amen to that, sister," Ryo quipped as Rowen and Ami approached them.   
  
"Hey guys," Ami said as she went to her locker.   
  
She opened her locker door and piled a few more books in her bookbag as she said, "So, are we ready to go to our place and cheer up Lita?"  
  
"Yeah," Serena said, "I called Mina and let her know what was going on. So, we won't surprise her and scare her half to death. You know how she likes to know when people are coming over."  
  
"I do," Ami said, "She's been like that for years." And when Ami meant years, she meant years.   
  
Serena nodded as Ami closed her locker door and said, "Are you ready now?"  
  
"Yep, let's go," Ami said.  
  
"Good, now we can go home," Raye said as she pushed herself off of the locker she was leaning on and began walking with the rest of the group as they took off down the hallway.  



	13. A Year Abroad Chapter 12

Mina slid down the door and sat on the ground, letting her head fall back and hit the door with a loud "thunk".   
  
"Come on, Lita, open the door and let me talk to you."  
  
"No," came the muffled reply. Mina sighed, knowing that Lita was crying again. Mina had been standing/sitting in front of Lita's door for a few hours now, trying to get her to open the door and talk to her, but she had only been able to talk to her through the door and she wanted to have direct contact.   
  
Mina took in slow even breaths, trying to calm herself down.   
  
"Lita, if you don't open the door, I'm going to have to open it by force," she threatened.  
  
"Go ahead, it's not locked."  
  
"It's not locked?" Mina asked, anger creeping into her voice. Here, she was thinking that Lita had locked the door, shutting everyone out of her life, but in truth, Lita had played Mina for the fool.   
  
Mina only shook her head and got up to open the door when she heard the front door downstairs open.   
  
"Lita, the guys are here, everyone. They've brought Kento and the others over and Kento's going to come up and talk to you, ok?"  
  
"I don't care."  
  
"Well, I do and for your information, they think that a best friend of yours died two years ago and that is why you're sad. Don't let them think otherwise."  
  
"No problem," Lita said. Mina smiled, hearing the slight joy in her friend's voice. She knew that Lita had a big thing for Kento and that she would open up to him.   
  
She walked away from the door and stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at the group of 8 people who were taking off their shoes and putting their stuff away. She tangled her fingers in her hair and pretended to be exasperated.   
  
"Somebody save the goddess of love!" she yelled.  
  
"I heard that!" Lita yelled through her door. Mina threw a smile at Lita's door and started off down the stairs, taking them two at a time.   
  
"I'm getting nowhere fast with Lita. She won't talk to me," Mina said when she reached the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"Nowhere?" the girls asked.  
  
"Nowhere. I've been very unsuccessful."   
  
Mina's eyes scanned the group, resting on Cye for a moment and giving him a small smile before she said, "Is anyone hungry? Before I got home, Lita had cooked up a storm in the kitchen and now there's enough food to feed an army in there."  
  
"Again?" Raye asked.  
  
"She always cooks when she's depressed," Mina said like it was a well-known fact.   
  
Serena, who hadn't been paying much attention, said, "Food? Where?"  
  
"In the kitchen," Ami said, "You would have heard it if you had been paying attention." But her words were useless; Kento and Serena had already taken off for the kitchen and began devouring all of the foods that Lita had cooked in her depression.   
  
"Hey guys, slow down!" Rowen said.  
  
"Yeah, leave some for us," Sage yelled.   
  
Cye only shook his head as his friends went to stop the tornadoes that were Kento and Serena and turned to Mina.   
  
"So, you've been trying to talk to Lita?"  
  
"Yeah, and she won't talk to me. I just hope that Kento will be able to get her to cheer up."  
  
"Oh, don't worry, once Kento is finished stuffing his face, he'll do anything and everything in his power to cheer her up," Cye reassured.  
  
"Good, I hate seeing Lita like this. It's just depressing."  
  
"Yeah, I know how you feel about seeing your friends depressed. I hate it when my friends aren't happy. It makes me feel bad," Cye said.  
  
"Yeah, me too," Mina agreed. Their eyes met and it was like they were reading each other's souls for a moment. Cye broke it off first, a blush slowly creeping up on his face.  
  
"So, why did you call yourself the goddess of love?" he asked, coming up with a new topic.  
  
"Hmm? Oh, I called myself that because you are looking at Mina Aino, matchmaker extraordinaire. All of the couples I have set up have stayed together. I just know when two people are made for each other."   
  
At those words, Ami's ears perked up. Yeah, then why can't you see that you and Cye are made for each other? Ami thought with a smile on her face.   
  
Mina caught the smile and asked self-consciously, "What? What are you staring at? Do I have something on my face, or what?" Ami only smiled wider and shook her head.   
  
"Nothing," she replied simply. Mina eyed her warily, and then let it go.   
  
"Ok, fine. But, if you're lying to me, there is nothing that will save you from my power," Mina threatened.  
  
"Ooh, I'm scared," Ami mocked before going into the kitchen.   
  
She leaned against the counter and watched as her friends, minus Mina, Cye, and Lita, practically inhaled all the food that was on the kitchen table. Ami looked around her for any extra food, not daring to go into the fray that had surrounded the kitchen table, and found a plate of crab sandwiches with cucumber, her favorite.   
  
Ami's face lit up with joy as she reached for one of the sandwiches; Lita had obviously been generous enough to make her favorite food. She took a bite, savoring the taste, and went to the refrigerator to get something to drink. Her hand had just closed around the door handle when the phone rang.   
  
She looked around and found Mina preoccupied with talking to Cye and Serena and Raye occupied with the food and she knew that Lita wasn't going to answer it, so she went into the next room and picked up the portable phone.   
  
"Hello?" she answered, just swallowing her bite of a crab and cucumber sandwich.   
  
"Hey Ami," the male voice greeted. Ami couldn't believe who was calling her; she had to yell it out.   
  
"Chad!!"   
Raye's ears perked up at hearing her best male friend's name and said, "Chad? Is that who's calling? Ask him how Jesse is doing?"  
  
"Is that Raye's voice I hear on the other end?" Chad asked.  
  
"Yes, and she wants to know how Jesse is doing?"  
  
"Oh, she's doing great," Chad answered in an extremely happy voice.   
  
Chad had mooned over Raye for months, but Raye kept rejecting him. So, he decided to give up on her and he met someone else. Her name was Jesse and they were perfect for each other. Chad loved Jesse unconditionally and Jesse felt the same.   
  
"That's great," Ami said, continuing the conversation.   
  
She yelled to Raye, "Jesse's doing fine, Raye."  
  
"Are there wedding bells in the picture?" Raye yelled, a huge smile on her face and the food forgotten.  
  
"Why don't you pick up the phone yourself?" Ami said, walking into the kitchen, "You're phone is in your bedroom."  
  
"That's a great idea," Raye said before taking off up to her bedroom.   
  
"Hey, Chad, I hear voices in the background. Who's with you?" Ami asked.  
  
"Oh, Darien, Andrew, and Greg are here."  
  
"Ken's not there?" Ami asked with sadness in her voice.  
  
"No, why?"  
  
"Because I thought that he could talk to Lita. She's been having a hard time lately and I thought that she might want to talk to a close friend."  
  
"No, he's not here. Sorry. But, next time I see him, I'll tell him to give her a call. Hold on, Ami. I'm going to put you on speaker phone."   
  
After a couple seconds and a click, Ami heard, "Hey Ami," coming from four different guys.   
  
"Hey guys, Raye should be on the phone any moment."  
  
"That's cool," Chad said at the same time that Greg said, "Hey Ami, how are you doing?"  
  
"I'm doing fine, Greg."  
  
"How about that guy. What's his name? You know, the guy's that is exactly like you."  
  
"You mean Rowen?" Raye asked, who had finally picked up the phone and heard Greg's question.  
  
"Yeah, him. So, how is he Ami?"   
  
Ami turned a light pink and eyed Rowen from across the room while saying, "He's fine."  
  
"That's good to hear. So, how are the Scouts?" Greg asked.  
  
"We're all fine," Ami said. All of the guys knew that the girls were the Sailor Scouts; they felt it was only fair to them to tell them.  
  
"What's up with Lita?" Chad asked.  
  
"Is there something wrong with Lita?" Andrew asked.  
  
"Yeah, Andrew there is," Ami said.   
  
Mina's attentions snapped to Ami as she said Andrew's name.   
  
"Andrew? Are you talking to him?" Mina asked. Ami nodded and Mina ran into the living room and picked up the phone that was there.   
  
"Andrew! Hi!" Mina yelled.  
  
"Hey Mina, how are you?" Andrew asked.  
  
"I'm fine and you?"  
  
"I'm doing pretty good. I do miss you though."  
  
"Yeah, well I miss you too," Mina said. Ami, from where she was standing, could see Cye's face fall as he thought she was talking to her boyfriend.   
  
As if to unconsciously reassure Cye, Mina said, "So, how's Rita?"  
  
"Um, well," Andrew said, getting nervous.  
  
"Come on," Darien said, "Tell her about the engagement."  
  
"What?" Mina asked, a huge smile on her face.  
  
"Well, Rita and I are engaged."  
  
"Congratulations," Ami said.  
  
"I'll ditto that," Raye said, coming back into the kitchen with her phone.  
  
"You and Rita are getting married, Andrew?" Mina yelled, "Oh my God, the day finally came. How many times had I told you just to ask her to marry you, you idiot?" Mina said.  
  
"Many," Andrew admitted sheepishly.  
  
"And did you ever ask her under my advice?" Mina asked again.  
  
"No," he trailed off.  
"Then what got you to ask her? When did you ask her?" Mina asked.  
  
"What did Andrew ask?" Serena yelled, finally tuning in on the side of the conversation she could hear.   
  
Ami covered the mouthpiece with her hand and said, "Andrew and Rita are getting married."  
  
"They are? Finally," Serena said.   
  
Ami laughed and said, "Yeah." The guys in the room felt like they had missed something big.   
"I'm lost, what's going on here?" Sage asked Serena.  
  
"Oh, our friends from Tokyo are on the phone."  
  
"Yeah, but who are these guys?" Rowen asked.  
  
"They are our best guy friends back home. We've known them all for a long time. Actually...Is Darien on the phone, Ami?"  
  
"Yeah, he is. Come and say hi to him when you're finished talking to the guys."  
  
"Ok...well, anyway. Darien is part of a group of 5 guys that we would always hang out with back home. The "ringleader" of the group is my boyfriend, Darien. The others are Greg, who's Ami's best friend; Ken, who's Lita's; Andrew, Mina's best guy friend; and Chad, who's Raye's best guy friend.   
  
"It's so funny. All of those 4 guys are dating the girls we've been hassling them to go out with. Andrew finally proposed to Rita; he's, like, 19. Chad is with Jesse, Ken is with Leah, and Greg is happily going out with someone named...Hey Ami?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"What is Greg's girlfriend's name?" Serena asked.  
  
"Ashley," Ami answered.  
  
"Did I hear my girlfriend's name?" Greg asked over the phone.  
  
"Yeah, you did," Raye said.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because Serena is telling the guys who you are and the names of your girlfriends," Ami said.  
  
"Why?" Chad asked.  
  
"General info?" Mina offered.  
  
"Good answer," Chad said.  
  
"I thought so too, Chad," Mina said with a smile.   
  
"Hey, Serena, do you want to say hi to your boyfriend?" Ami asked.  
  
"Yeah!" Serena said before hopping out of her seat and over to Ami.   
  
Ami said, "Bye guys!" to the guys on the other end of the phone.  
  
"Bye Ami!" they said as she handed the phone to Serena and took Serena's place at the table. Raye and Mina, who didn't want to be on the phone when Serena was talking to Darien, said bye to the guys.   
  
"Bye you guys!" Mina said.  
  
"Yeah, see you when we come home for Christmas!" Raye exclaimed.  
  
"Ok, see you later," Andrew said.  
  
"Yeah, bye," Chad said before Raye and Mina hung up the phone.   
  
By this time, Serena was practically cooing into the phone and Cye had joined the table. Raye and Mina pulled up extra chairs and sat down, starting to talk with Ami.   
  
"God, I haven't heard from them in a while," Ami said.  
  
"Yeah," Raye said, "I'm happy that Chad is doing great with Jesse."   
  
Mina gave Raye a look and said, "No, you're just happy that Chad isn't mooning over you anymore." Raye nodded in agreement.   
  
"Yeah, I'm happy about that too. You don't know how bad it was having him one, live at the temple while having a crush on me, and two, having to hear him sing." Raye rested her head on her hands and shook her head, starting to laugh.   
  
"Actually, I think those were some of the funniest times," she said.  
  
"And why do you say that?" Sage asked, a little jealous of the guy who knew so much about the girl he loved.   
  
Mina, who was laughing as well, said, "Well, it was really funny to see Raye chase Chad around the temple grounds with a broom, threatening to beat him with it if he continued to sing." The guys, who were all taking a sip of water at the time, started to choke on it in laughter.   
  
"You did something like that, Raye?" Kento asked. Raye nodded, a smile forcing its way onto her face.   
  
"I can see you doing something like that," Rowen said. Everyone only voiced their agreement by laughing.   
  
Serena came back into the room with a wistful look on her face.   
  
"Is everything all right with Darien?" Raye asked, an eyebrow raised coyly.   
  
"Yeah," Serena said. Her happy look then faded. "But, I'm still worried about Lita. Darien told me that we have to snap her out of it before it's too late," Serena said sadly.   
The other girls' smiles faded. If they didn't get Lita to fight again with them, they would be separated and they wouldn't be able to fight because without the 5 Sailor Scouts, the Sailor team was basically powerless. They all drew strength from each other and when their hearts weren't united, their powers were useless.   
  
"Yeah," Ami said, "We have to get her cheered up and back to normal."  
  
"Though we won't ever be normal," Raye said.  
  
"What's stopping you guys from being normal?" Cye asked.  
  
"It's a long story," said the girls in unison.   
  
The guys' brows furrowed in confusion, but those looks were ignored as Mina grabbed Kento's hand.   
  
"You have to go talk to Lita. She trusts you. She just might listen to you," Mina said, her voice quavering with unshed tears, her eyes sparkling with hopefulness. Hopping out of her seat, Mina pulled Kento upstairs to Lita's room.   
  
Standing in front of Lita's door, Mina laid a hand on Lita's door in sadness.   
  
"If anyone can cheer her up, it's you, Kento." Mina gave Kento a quick kiss on the cheek as thanks before walking away, leaving Kento standing in front of Lita's door.   
  
Kento stared at Lita's bedroom door. He nervously put his hand on the doorknob, but he didn't know why he was nervous. Yes, you do, Kento thought, You're nervous because you're going to go see Lita. You love her and whenever you see her, you get nervous. Kento sighed and rested the side of his head against the door, feeling the coolness of the wood pressed up against his ear.   
  
As he sat there with his ear pressed up against the door, he could hear the soft sounds of weeping and his heart clenched in pain. Lita was crying. He didn't think that it was possible. Lita was the strongest girl, physically and emotionally, that he had ever met and listening to her cry broke his heart.   
  
He moved his head away from the door and slowly opened it, turning the doorknob ever so slowly as to give no indication that he was entering the room. When the door was open enough for him to get through, he entered the room and closed the door, making sure that there was no sound that would disturb Lita.   
  
His eyes scanned the room, noting how clean it was, before resting on Lita, who was curled up in a corner on her bed, crying softly. Seeing her in such a prone position gave him a strong feeling of protectiveness for Lita and he moved towards the bed. Sitting down on the bed, he was less than an arm's length away from her. She hadn't noticed him yet, but he was going to fix that.   
  
He reached out with his arm and pushed a strand of hair away from her face, which was being covered by her hands, and tucked it behind her ear. Lita's breath hitched and she slowly removed her face from her hands. The sight of her tear-streaked face made Kento's own face soften in sympathy.   
  
"Hey there," he whispered.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she whispered, almost harshly.  
  
"I came to see if you were ok."  
  
"I'm fine, now leave me alone."  
  
"You don't look fine," Kento said. Lita turned her head away so she wouldn't have to look at Kento. She knew that if she looked at him, she would start crying again and she didn't want to do that in front of him. But, he wasn't going to let her get away with hiding her pain from him.   
  
Gently, he put his finger under her chin, tipping up her face so she would have to look at him.   
  
Staring directly into beautiful green eyes that were glistening with tears, he said, "Let it go, Lita. I'm right here. I promise I won't think you any weaker for breaking down. It takes a strong person to admit having a weakness."   
  
As Lita stared at Kento's face, she saw all the pain he felt for her and she realized that he only wanted to help. Not believing he cared so much as to help her through her pain, even though he didn't know why she was hurt, it only made the hasty walls she had just built crumble. Kento watched as her resolve fell apart and she started to cry.   
  
Feeling relieved that she finally opened up, he pulled her into his arms and held her as she cried. Lita wrapped her arms around his neck and let herself revel in the feeling of his arms around her as she cried. She could feel her pain subsiding and being in his arms felt like coming home.   
  
Kento sat there, just being content to hold her as she cried, and when he felt that her tears had slowed enough that she was ready to talk, he said, "You know, I'm sorry about your friend that died, but your friends now need you."  
  
"No, they don't need me. They'll be fine."  
  
"No, I don't think they will. I don't know much about your past or the girls' for that matter, but I do know that you guys are a team of some sort and I can see it. You all depend on each other and when one of you falls apart, all of you feel the same pain. The girls downstairs are feeling the same pain right now and it hurts them because they need you. You're very important to them and I think they would do anything for you. Are you going to walk away from that?"   
  
Lita, who was pretty much finished crying, sat up and looked Kento straight in the eye, feeling a lot better.   
  
"You seem to know a lot about being part of a team," Lita said.  
  
"Yeah, well, it's a long story," Kento said sheepishly, "But at least you're not crying anymore."  
  
"Yeah, thank you, by the way," Lita said, still in Kento's arms.  
  
"It was nothing," he said, his voice full of indifference.  
  
"No, you've done something great here today," Lita said, thinking about what he had just done. Kento, without realizing it, had saved the Sailor Scouts. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and hugged him tightly.   
  
Kento blushed, thanking the powers that be that she couldn't see him blush because she was hugging him. He, of course, hugged her back, loving the feeling of her body pressed up against his. With her so close, he could feel the curves of her body pressed up against him and he wanted more than ever to kiss her. Although he had only known her for a month or so, the love he felt for the girl in his arms was startling.   
  
She pulled away and gave him another kiss on the cheek.   
  
"Thank you," she said before pushing her body off of his, immediately missing his warmth.   
"You go on downstairs. I'm going to wash my face to get rid of the tears."  
  
"Ok," Kento said distantly. He, too, missed the feeling of her so close to him. He stood up and watched as Lita left the room to wash her face. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. Having Lita so close to him played a number on his hormones. After all, he was only a guy.   
  
Finally feeling composed he left Lita's room and walked downstairs, hearing voices of laughter coming from the kitchen. He walked into the kitchen and saw a bright red Mina surrounded by a group of hysterical people.   
  
"What's so funny?" Kento asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. Serena wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes and said, "We were telling everyone the story about how Mina realized that dancing wasn't her best option as a career."   
  
Kento had a look of apprehension on his face as he said, "Ok," a little scared about being around all the crazy people in the room.  
  
"But, did you get Lita cheered up?" Serena asked.   
Happy for switch of topics to one he knew, Kento said, "Well, I got her out of her bedroom and she seems better than she did this morning. I think she's going to be ok." The girls, who had all calmed down, sighed with relief.   
  
"You have done a great thing today, Kento," Raye said with thankfulness in her voice.  
  
"That's funny. That's exactly what Lita said," Kento observed.   
  
"Well, it's true," Mina said.  
  
"What's true?" Lita asked as she entered the kitchen.   
  
She took one look around at the mess the others created out of her food and she scoffed.   
  
"Gee, you guys sure made a mess of my kitchen."   
  
Serena looked at Lita, eyes wide and asked, "Are you really ok?" Lita stared into Serena's eyes, which were shining with tears, and nodded almost unnoticeably.   
  
Serena then proceeded to launch herself out of her chair and barreled her way over to Lita, where she threw her arms around her friend and comrade. Lita, a little taken aback at first, put her arms around Serena and hugged her tight.   
  
Lita squeezed her eyes shut against the tears of relief as she clutched to her leader. She was afraid that the Scouts weren't going to want her back after she "quit" the Sailor Scouts.   
  
Lita drew in a deep breath, a little hampered by Serena's holding Lita close, and said, "I'm sorry." Serena understood what Lita was talking about. Lita was sorry for quitting the team, but it was understandable. Serena had been close to doing the same thing many times.   
"I understand, Lita. Welcome back," Serena said, her voice quavering slightly. The two pulled away and looked into each other's eyes, immediately laughing to dismiss the intensity of their emotions, tears both running down their faces.   
  
Serena sniffed as she wiped away the tears, laughing even harder as she saw Lita doing the same thing. The action itself wasn't necessarily funny; it was that they were so overjoyed to be a team again. The other Scouts were giddy with relief as well. They all had big smiles on their faces, even the guys. The guys didn't know what going on, but they all felt the same relief that the girls did and they didn't know why. It was like they were being directly fed the girls' emotions.   
  
Serena, who had finished wiping away her tears, turned around and said, "Well, Ryo, do you want to head over to your place. You've seen our house. It's our turn to see yours."  
  
"Yeah, I think we're all done here. Let's head over to our place," Ryo said.  
  
"And let's hurry. I really want to meet your girlfriend, Ryo," Serena teased.  
  
"And she wants to meet all of you. She's heard so much about you all," Ryo said, ignoring Serena's teasing effort.   
  
"Really, and why is that?" Mina asked Cye.   
  
Cye only blushed a light pink and said, "Come on, let's go."  
  
"Yeah," Kento said, walking out of the kitchen and into the hallway where his shoes were. All the others followed suit and soon they were out the door.  



	14. A Year Abroad Chapter 13

"How much farther?" Serena whined as the group of 10 ascended a large hill.  
  
"It's just to the top of the hill," Kento said, "It's really not that far."  
  
"But this hill is so big!" Serena complained.  
  
"Aww, come on Serena, you've faced physical torture greater than walking up this hill," Mina said.  
  
"Like what?" Serena whined.  
  
"Beryl," Mina said simply.   
  
Serena whined and said, "Why'd you have to bring that up, Mina?"  
  
"Just an example," Mina said nonchalantly. Sage turned his head to look at the group of girls behind him.   
  
"What's 'Beryl'?" Sage asked.   
  
The girls glared at Mina, who had spilled something that would be hard to explain, again, and said, "Long story," as Mina apologized.  
  
"Well, don't do it again," Raye said.  
  
"I promise, I won't," Mina swore.  
  
"Good," Raye said.   
  
As they reached the top of the hill, Cye turned around and said, "Did I miss something? You guys seem to have a lot of inside jokes."   
  
The girls just looked at each other with a knowing look and said, "We know."  
  
"But, you guys have a lot of inside jokes, too," Serena said, giving the guys an unnerving look that said that she knew something about them that was supposed to remain a secret. In fact, she did. Serena knew that the guys were the Ronin Warriors, but she hadn't told the girls yet. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. They just don't need to deal with that right now, Serena thought.   
  
Serena's gaze traveled to a large building that was past the guys.   
  
"Wow, is that where you guys live?" Serena asked, incredulously. The guys turned around and looked at their home.   
  
"Yup, this is it. And I think..." Ryo said as he ran to the front of the house, checking the open garage.   
  
"Yep, Mia's home. Her car is in the garage. Come on, let's go. I wanna introduce you guys to Mia." Ryo rushed into the house, everyone else in tow, and called out, "Mia! We're home!"  
  
"Hold on a moment!" a female voice called out. The girls stood, looking around the house for a few moments before someone came into the front hall.   
  
The girls turned to see a young woman, a few years older than they were, move towards Ryo with a large smile on her face.   
  
"Hey you," she said before giving Ryo a quick kiss, one that Ryo wished he could have made longer.   
  
"Hey Mia, how was your day?" Ryo asked, wrapping an arm around her waist.  
  
"It's was ok, how was yours?"  
  
"Interesting," the guys and girls said. Mia, for the first time, noticed the girls.   
  
She looked at the girls and asked Ryo, "Who are they?"  
  
"Oh, these are friends from school. Mia, I'd like you to meet Serena, Ami, Raye, Mina, and Lita." Mia stepped out of Ryo's embrace and shook hands with all of the girls.   
  
"It's nice to finally be able to put faces to names."  
  
"What do you mean?" Mina asked Mia.  
  
"Well, the guys only talk about you all the time," Mia said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
"Really?" Mina said, looking at Cye out of the corner of her eye.   
  
Mia noticed Cye's discomfort and said, "Would you girls like something to drink?"  
  
"Yeah, I could go for something," Lita said.  
  
"Me too," Ami said.  
  
"Ditto," the other girls said.  
  
"Ok, I'll be right back. Guys, would you help me?"  
  
"Sure," the Ronin Warriors said as they followed Mia into the kitchen, leaving the girls in the front hall. The girls didn't mind, however, as they looked around the spacious house. Ami, Mina, Lita, and Raye were content to look around the room, but Serena, her never ending curiosity, started looking around the house.   
  
She entered the dining room and found a large, lone stack of papers sitting on the end of the table. Her curiosity piqued, she walked over to the table and looked at the piece of paper that rested on top of the pile and gasped.   
  
It was a picture taken of the Scouts in Tokyo after a battle that occurred a few days before the Scouts left for Toyama. Really curious now, Serena sifted through the large pile of papers to find all of the articles and picture of the scouts, dating back to when the existence of Sailor Moon was made public knowledge.   
  
"Oh my God," Serena said out loud. Moments later, the girls entered the room.   
  
"What did you find, girl?" Lita asked.  
  
"Look at these papers," Serena said, handing them to the girls. Ami's eyes widened, Raye's eyebrows shot up, Mina smiled, and Lita started to chuckle.   
  
"Well, well. It's us," Lita said.  
"And it appears we have secret admirers," Mina said with laughter in her voice.   
  
Raye grabbed the pile of papers and started to look through them. She stopped on one and started to laugh.   
  
"What's so funny, Raye?" Ami asked.  
  
"Do you guys remember when we tried to fool the Negaverse into believing that we were splitting up?"  
  
"Yeah," Lita said, motioning for her to continue.  
"Well, do you guys remember the picture that appeared in the paper the next day after the robbery at Molly's mother's store?" Raye flipped the picture around to show the others and they all saw Serena, as Sailor Moon, facing the Sailor Scouts with her mouth wide open. Serena turned crimson red and the others started to laugh.   
  
"I still maintain that you have a big mouth, Meatball Head," Raye said, snickering.   
  
"Raye, stop making fun of me," Serena said, starting to laugh as well.   
  
Serena looked at the picture again and said, "I do have a big mouth, don't I?" After one last glance at the picture, Serena burst into hysterical laughter, the same as all of the other girls.   
  
This was how the Ronin Warriors found them as they walked into the room. The Ronin Warriors walked into the dining room to find out what was so funny, with Mia behind them carrying drinks. The guys spotted the girls looking through the large pile of newspaper clippings and immediately became very embarrassed. No one, except for Mia, knew that the guys had been following the Sailor Scouts' career since the beginning and they were very bashful about it.   
  
"What's so funny?" Ryo asked defensively, letting Mia get passed them with the drinks so she could set them down on the table.   
  
"We were just looking through these pictures and we saw one of Sailor Moon that looked a lot like Serena," Lita said as a simple explanation.  
  
"So, you guys like the Sailor Scouts?" Ami asked. The guys all looked away, heads down, and muttered a "Yes."   
  
The girls gave each other smirks, that the guys missed, and Mina said, "It's alright to like them. We won't tell anyone, if that makes you feel better."  
  
"Thank you," Sage said.  
  
"No problem," Lita said, "But believe me, they are very flattered to have fans like you."  
  
"Huh? How do you know that?" Rowen asked.  
  
"Well, anyone is flattered when they have adoring fans. I speak from experience," Mina said.  
  
"Were you someone famous?" Mia asked, handing out glasses of water.  
  
"Yeah, I was an actress back when I lived in England," Mina said, following the guys and Mia into a large family room.   
  
The girls sat down on the various couches and Kento asked, "So, what kind of acting stuff did you do in England?"   
  
Mina checked the clock and said, "I'll show you."   
  
Walking over to the TV, she turned it on and began flipping through the channels until she found the one she was looking for. She smiled as the opening credits for her old show played out on the screen. She stepped away and motioned at the TV screen.   
  
"That," she said, indicating that it was her on the screen.  
  
"You were Sailor V?" Cye asked incredulously as Mina's name appeared on the screen in the opening credits.  
  
"Sure was," Mina said, with a smile on her face.  
  
"Why did you leave?" Ryo asked.  
  
"Well, to tell the truth, I was getting tired of it. I just wanted to lead a normal life. Not like I do now, anyway, but oh well. I'm a lot happier now than I was then." Even with my new memories, Mina thought.   
  
There was a pause in the conversation as they had run the topic dry, so Mia picked a new one.   
  
"So, you guys are from Tokyo. Do you like living there?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, it's pretty cool," Raye said.  
  
"Yes, even with all the monster attacks that happen there," Ami said.  
  
"Yeah, I noticed that," Mia said, "But, there haven't been any attacks there since the Sailor Scouts left Tokyo and came here a couple of months ago. Now, the attacks are here. Do you guys know why that is?" Mia asked.  
  
"We don't know," Serena lied.  
  
"You know what's really weird?" Rowen said, "How the Sailor Scouts showed up around the same time you girls did. Isn't that a little weird?"   
  
The girls eyed each other nervously and Lita said, "That's probably just a coincidence," laughing a little nervously. Rowen picked up on their nervousness, but chose not to comment on it. Instead, he filed that information away and chose to examine it at a later date. The topic from then on moved to anything else but the Sailor Scouts. A few hours later, the girls felt that it was time to go.   
  
"You know what, we have homework to do," Ami said, looking at her watch.   
  
"Yeah," the other girls muttered. Getting up, the girls walked over to the door and put on their shoes, the guys walking them to the door.   
  
"Thanks for having us over for so long," Raye said.  
  
"No problem," Sage said, "Anytime." Raye just smiled at him as she put on her shoes and opened the door. The others followed, saying their good-byes, and before they shut the door behind them, Mia called out Serena's name.   
  
Serena turned around and said, "Yeah?"  
  
"How would you guys like to have dinner over at our place on Friday?" Mia asked.   
  
Serena smiled slightly and said, "We'd love to."   
  
"Great. See you all then."  
  
"Bye Mia," all five girls chorused as they shut the door behind them.   
  
Mia and the guys watched the door for a moment until Mia said, "I like those girls," before turning around and going into the kitchen to make dinner. Ryo followed Mia into the kitchen, leaving the others by the front door. Yeah, so do we, they all thought before turning to go into the kitchen.  
  
***  
The Scouts walked down the hill from Mia's house in twilight.   
  
"Well, that was nice," Ami said.  
  
"Yeah, I just wish Mina could keep her big mouth shut," Raye teased, but there was an edge to her voice that said she wasn't just teasing.  
  
"Look, Raye, I'm sorry. I'm just bad at keeping my big mouth shut, especially around Cye. It's like whenever I'm around him, my brain short-circuits. You sometimes do the same thing with Sage. Remember when he caught you playing with your transformation pen in the middle of class a few weeks ago? I'm surprised he didn't recognize it when Serena gave it to him today," Mina said.  
  
"Alright, alright. I'm guilty too," Raye said.   
  
Raye paused for a moment and said, "Hey, speaking of the guys, did anyone else besides me pick up that Rowen is a little suspicious about us? I mean, the way he picked up on how we arrived at the same time as the Sailor Scouts and pointed it out to us is a little weird, but the tone of voice he said it in said that he knows something, or he's making the connection."  
  
"I picked up on that too," Lita said, "And it scares me a little bit. I don't want to have to get them involved in this. It was dangerous involving Ken, Greg, Andrew, and Chad in the first place. But, at least they know the dangers of knowing our identities. These guys don't."  
  
"Do you wanna bet?" Serena muttered.  
  
"Did you say something, Serena?" Mina asked.   
  
Serena, startled by Mina's question, said, "No, I didn't say anything. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Because I thought I heard you say something," Mina continued.  
  
"Nope, you must be hearing things," Serena said. Mina scrutinized Serena closely, knowing that Serena was hiding something, but she also knew that it was pointless trying to force it out of her, so she let it slide.  
  
"Anyway," Ami said, "We have to keep the guys from finding out. But, that's going to be hard with Rowen. You guys don't seem to understand just how smart he is. He makes connections really quick. I think he just might find out our identities without us having to tell him."  
  
"Well, you know, I could use my crystal to keep them from finding out," Serena said.  
  
"You can do that?" Lita asked.  
  
"Sure, I did it with you guys and your memories of the Silver Millennium...uh-oh," Serena trailed off as she saw the other girls stop and glare at her.  
  
"What do you mean, you did it with us?" Raye asked, fire starting to burn in her eyes.  
  
"Well, when I got my memories back of the Moon Kingdom, they were so painful that I wanted to stop you guys from getting hurt, so I used the Silver Crystal to keep you guys from getting your memories back and I know it was wrong, but I didn't want to see you guys get hurt.   
  
"I know it was wrong and that it backfired, but I really thought I was doing the right thing. Those memories are very painful to have to remember and I didn't want you guys to go through the same pain that I went through. I'm really very, very sorry."  
  
"Sorry or not, you had no right to do that," Raye said.  
  
"I agree. It was wrong for you not to let us get our memories back on our own," Ami said.  
  
"How could you, Serena?" Mina said.   
  
Out of pure guilt and stress from the last three days spilling out, Serena started to cry. Not her usual wailing, but soft tears that worried her friends.   
  
"I know, it was very wrong of me to do and I feel really bad about doing it. If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't have done that and you would have gotten your memories back earlier, but it still would have hurt, maybe even more because you guys are stronger now than you were earlier. I don't expect you to forgive me, either."   
  
Lita smiled at Serena because she knew where her intentions were coming from and gathered Serena into a hug.   
  
"I'm not mad at you Serena and I don't think the others are either."  
  
"No, we're not mad," Raye said, really meaning it.  
  
"You're not?" Serena asked, not believing.  
  
"No, of course not. We couldn't be mad at you," Mina said, "Who has gotten us through these last few days and not expected anything back?" Serena's tears stopped and she smiled at her friends.   
  
"Thank you, guys. I promise, I won't do anything like that again."  
  
"You better not," the others all said. They all started laughing and Mina linked arms with Serena.   
  
"Come on," Mina said, "Let's go home." Serena nodded and they all began walking again.   
  
As they walked home, Serena smiled, listening to her friends talking in the background, happy that they forgave her for doing what she did, a heavy burden lifted off of her shoulders.  



	15. A Year Abroad Chapter 14

About a month and a half had passed since Serena, as Sailor Moon, gave the guys the Scouts' transformation pens. The Scouts had been getting really anxious and nervous without their transformation pens. They didn't like knowing that there could be evil roaming around and they couldn't do anything about it.   
  
The Ronin Warriors had been carrying around the Scouts' transformation pens since the day they got them, never letting the pens leave their side. They had also been carrying around their kanji balls, just in case they happened to get attacked and since the Sailor Scouts couldn't do anything about it because they didn't have the power to transform, the responsibility fell on the guys to fight off monsters. But, no droids had attacked since that day at school when Lita almost blew the Scouts' identity. Well, at least for the moment.   
  
In a parallel universe, the Quartz sisters were recovering from their battle.   
  
"Oh, those wretched Sailor Scouts. Who'd have thought they'd be so hard to destroy?" Pyrope said, running a hand vainly through her dark crimson hair.  
  
"I sure didn't, but, thanks to you Pyrope, we're all hurt. This was all your idea," Serpentine said, taking a seat besides her red sister. Pyrope only glared at her.  
  
"Girls, girls. This is no time to argue. We have to come up with a strategy on how to beat those Scouts. They're much stronger than we anticipated, so we're going to have to come up with a plan," Axinite dictated.   
  
"Like what?" Rubellite and Lazulite said simultaneously.  
  
"Oh, I don't know. We'll think of something. You girls saw it; those Sailor Scouts are without the power to transform. I say we send a droid down now and destroy them while we can. And then, we can take over this miserable planet," Axinite said.  
  
"For once, you have an excellent idea," Pyrope said smugly.  
  
"For once? What do you mean by that?" Axinite yelled.  
  
"Oh, nothing," Pyrope said. Axinite barely regained control of her temper as she called forth one of her monsters.   
  
"Sandrock, come forth!"  
  
"As you wish, master." A monster appeared out of thin air in front of Axinite. The monster, Sandrock, was huge, made completely out of rock and sand.   
  
"Sandrock, I want you to go to Toyama and destroy everything, do you understand?" Axinite instructed.  
  
"Yes, mistress. I will do as you tell me," a deep voice rumbled.  
  
"Good, you go on your way," Axinite said. Sandrock bowed slightly, as well as its heavy frame could, before disappearing.  
  
"Let's just hope this works," Serpentine muttered.  
  
"It'll work," Axinite said, clenching her fist.  
  
***  
In Toyama, the Ronin Warriors were spending a luxurious Saturday, sitting outside of a pizza place, eating lunch.   
  
"This is really great; we haven't done something like this in a long time," Rowen said.  
  
"Yeah, that's because we can never get you to wake up. It's a miracle that we got you out of bed before 10:00," Cye said.  
  
"Oh, shut up. You guys are ruining my food experience," Kento said, taking a huge bite out of a slice of pizza.   
  
"Hey, didn't the girls say they were going to meet us down here?" Sage asked.  
  
"Well, that's what Serena said when I talked to her last night. I figure they'll be down here soon," Ryo said, checking his watch. Rowen opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off when they heard a large crash.   
  
The Ronin Warriors all turned their heads to see a large monster in the middle of the street. The monster was about 15 feet tall and made completely out of rock. People screamed and fled at the sight of the monster, while the Ronin Warriors got out of their chairs and stood defensively in front of the monster, which was looking down at them condescendingly.   
  
"Hey, blockhead, why don't you go back to where you belong?" Kento yelled.  
  
"And who are you to be addressing me?" the creature said in a low, rumbling voice.  
  
"We're your worst nightmare," Rowen said.  
  
"Oh, so the little boys think they can hurt me? I'd like to see you try."  
  
"Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it," Ryo said as he pulled out his kanji ball. "Ok, Ronin Warriors, power up. ARMOR OF WILDFIRE!" Ryo cried and his sub-armor appeared. The others followed suit.   
  
"ARMOR OF HALO!"  
  
"ARMOR OF HARDROCK!"  
  
"ARMOR OF TORRENT!"  
  
"ARMOR OF STRATA!" Within seconds, the guys were wearing their sub-armor and were ready to fight.   
  
"Ok, you guys, ready to fight?" Rowen asked.  
  
"Like never before. Let's rock it!" Kento yelled as he charged the monster. The monster only chuckled before sending out a gust of wind and sand that hit the guys. The guys could feel their skin being cut as the sand whipped against them harshly.   
  
The guys were knocked to the ground and Sandrock laughed.   
  
"You think you can beat me? You brave fools. You don't know who you're up against." Ryo pushed himself off of the ground and yelled, "Ok, that's it! ARMOR OF WILDFIRE, DAO CHI!" A few moments later, Ryo stood there in his Wildfire armor, his swords unsheathed and ready to strike.   
  
"Good idea, Ryo," Rowen said, "Let's armor up. ARMOR OF STRATA..."  
"ARMOR OF HARDROCK..."  
"ARMOR OF HALO..."  
"ARMOR OF TORRENT..."  
"DAO CHI!" they all cried as their transformations took place. In a few seconds, the Ronin Warriors stood in front of Sandrock, their weapons poised and ready to fight.   
  
"Cute armor, but no match for my power!" Sandrock yelled as he sent another blast of wind, sand, and power towards the Ronin Warriors. They barely stayed on their feet as they were bombarded by Sandrock's power and all the while, they were being watched.  
  
***  
Just moments earlier, the Sailor Scouts (well, as their human alter egos) were walking to the pizza place to meet the guys.   
  
"Serena, if you didn't sleep so late, we might actually be on time," Raye yelled.  
  
"I'm sorry Raye, but I need my beauty sleep," Serena whined.  
  
"Beauty sleep? I'm sorry Serena, but..." Raye was cut off when they heard a large crash, followed by numerous screams. The girls all looked at each other, wide-eyed with terror and alarm, and then to Serena.   
  
"Serena, it looks like you're going to have to take care of this," Lita said dismally.  
  
"Yeah, we don't have our transformation pens, so it's all up to you," Mina said.   
  
Serena nodded and looked around for a quick way to get to the battle scene. Her eyes spotted an alley that led to where she hoped the battle scene was. She ran into the abandoned alley, the girls following close behind. Once she entered the alley, Serena began her transformation.   
  
"MOON CRYSTAL POWER!" With a flurry of light and feathers, Sailor Moon appeared, ready to fight. She ran down the alley and the girls followed.   
  
As the group approached the end of the alley, they saw a large cloud of dust and sand blow in their direction. They screamed slightly and averted their heads so they wouldn't get sand in them. When the cloud settled down, the girls turned their head towards the scene to find five young warriors, in armor, facing off against a large creature that was made out of rock.   
  
The girls' eyes widened in confusion and Serena's face took on a small smile. So, the Ronin Warriors decided to fight again. Let's see how they do against a monster like this, Serena thought as the girls watched them fight.   
  
"Who are they?" Raye asked as the girls remained hidden in the shadows.   
  
"I don't know. I've never heard of any other type of warrior," Ami said.  
  
"Do you think they're on our side?" Lita asked.  
  
"I sure hope so," Mina replied, "Do you know who they are, Serena?"   
  
Serena, who had been ignoring the conversation behind her, turned to look at Mina.   
  
"What did you say?" Serena asked.  
  
"I asked you if you knew who those warriors were?" Mina repeated. Serena shrugged and turned back to the battle, feeling bad for lying to the girls about the Ronin Warriors. They'll find out soon enough, Serena thought. Serena watched as Kento tried to destroy the monster using his power.   
  
"IRON ROCK CRUSHER!" Kento yelled as large boulders came out of the ground and energy hit the monster. The monster was unfazed by Kento's attack.   
  
Kento took a step back and said, "It didn't work? Why didn't it work?"   
  
Lita looked at Kento, not knowing that it was Kento she was looking at, and said softly, "Where have I heard that voice?"  
  
  
"Here, let me try," Sage yelled. "THUNDERBOLT CUT!" Sage's attack also did nothing to Sandrock, who just stood there, laughing evilly.   
  
"Those puny attacks do nothing to me, you weaklings. I will destroy you!" Sandrock sent out another blast of power, more painful than the other two, and knocked the guys to the ground.   
  
Serena wanted so badly to intercept, but she didn't. She wanted to, needed to see if the Ronin Warriors could fight the monsters the Sailor Scouts fought against. The Ronin Warriors, who were wounded, lay on the ground, trying to get up.   
  
"Come on, you guys. We have to destroy this thing. Let's try combining all of our powers," Ryo said.  
  
"That could work," Cye said.  
  
"Well, it couldn't hurt," Rowen said.  
  
"Alright then," Ryo said, "FLARE UP NOW!"  
  
"SUPER WAVE SMASHER!"  
  
"IRON ROCK CRUSHER!"  
  
"THUNDERBOLT CUT!"  
  
"ARROR SHOCKWAVE!" The combined powers of the Ronin Warriors proved too much for Sandrock to handle and in moments, he was incinerated. The Ronin Warriors collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion.   
  
Serena only smiled and took a step forward when Raye caught her shoulder.   
  
"Serena, where are you going?" Raye asked. Serena looked over her shoulder and gave Raye a small smile.   
  
"I'm getting your transformation pens back." Raye looked at her, a confused look carved on her face, and Serena took that opportunity to get out of Raye's hold. She walked forward and started applauding.   
  
The guys sprang to attention as they heard Sailor Moon clapping. They turned to look and saw Sailor Moon walking towards them.   
  
"Ronin Warriors, good job. I must congratulate you. You were truly remarkable."  
  
"Thank you," Ryo said, "But why didn't you help us?"  
  
"I wanted to see if you could handle it on your own. If we are ever to become allies, then I need to know that you are strong enough to hold your own in a fight."   
  
As Serena spoke with the Ronin Warriors, the girls looked on in amazement.   
  
"Does she know who they are?" Lita asked.  
  
"Obviously and she never told us about them. That slimy Meatball Head," Raye said, her temper flaring.   
  
Ami put a hand on Raye's shoulder and said, "Raye, calm down. She must have a good reason for not telling us."  
  
"She better," Raye said through clenched teeth, pounding a fist into her palm of her other hand. They turned back to the scene in front of them just as Serena started talking again.   
"I've come to get something back from you guys," Serena said.  
  
"What?" Rowen asked, still in his armor.  
  
"I've come to collect the Scouts' transformation pens."  
  
"So, you guys have solved your problems?" Sage asked.  
  
"Yes, and the Scouts want their pens back, so if you could oblige, that would be great." The guys sighed and detransformed back into their normal clothes, revealing to the girls who they really were.  
  
"What?" Mina said, seeing the guys standing in front of Serena.  
  
"No, this can't be," Ami said.  
"Sage is not a warrior," Raye said, like she was trying to deny what she saw.  
  
"I can't believe it," Lita said, "I really can't."   
  
Serena glanced back to alley quickly, with a smirk on her face. So, now they know who the Ronin Warriors are and they know that I knew about them. I should be angry or scared, but I think this situation is too funny, Serena thought.   
  
She turned back to the Ronin Warriors and held out her hand, motioning for the guys to give the pens back.   
  
"You guys are going to have to part with them," Serena said at their reluctance to hand over the pens. Rowen was the one who let go first. He walked over to Serena, who was still Sailor Moon, and put Sailor Mercury's pen in her open hand.   
  
"Thank you," Serena said. The others followed Rowen's example and handed the pens to Sailor Moon.   
  
Serena smiled at them and said, "Thank you for looking after them," before turning around and walking back into the alley.   
  
Serena entered the darkened alley and handed the girls back their pens. Raye grabbed hers greedily and immediately transformed, feeling the power run through her veins once more. Lita, Mina, and Ami did the same, relieved that they were no longer helpless.   
  
The guys, who were still in the street, heard the transformation cries.   
  
"MARS STAR POWER!"  
  
"JUPITER STAR POWER!"  
  
"VENUS STAR POWER!"  
  
"MERCURY STAR POWER!" With a bright flash of light, the girls had transformed and the guys could now see the Sailor Scouts standing in the alley.   
  
"Oh, that feels good," Sailor Mars said.   
  
"I would have to agree with you, Mars," Sailor Jupiter said, feeling her Jupiter power course through her body. Sailor Venus and Mercury only sighed with relief.   
  
After a few seconds, Sailor Mars came off her power high and glared at Sailor Moon.   
  
"How could you not tell us that you knew who those warriors were?" Sailor Mars yelled.  
  
"I'm sorry. I kinda forgot," Sailor Moon whined. Sailor Mars advanced on Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon ran out of the alley with Sailor Mars close behind.   
  
The guys took a few steps back as they watched Sailor Moon be chased around by Sailor Mars.   
"Princess or no princess, you are still a Meatball Head, Sailor Moon," Raye yelled as Serena placed Ryo in between her and Raye.   
  
"I'm sorry Sailor Mars. I was going to tell you."  
  
"You know what, you'll never be anything but a big Meatball Head," Raye yelled.  
  
"Meatball Head?" Rowen said to himself, "Where have I heard that nickname before?"  
  
"You guys, stop it," Lita said.  
  
"This isn't appropriate Sailor Scout behavior," Ami said, her head bowed in embarrassment.  
  
"We can argue about this when we get home," Mina said, walking over and grabbing the two quarreling scouts by the arms and dragging them away from the guys.   
  
"Ok, we'll talk about this when we get home," Serena said sulkily, walking away from the group and back into the alley. The other Scouts remained in the street next to the guys.   
  
"Sailor Mars, you shouldn't be so hard on Sailor Moon. You know how emotional she gets sometimes," Mina said.  
"I suppose you're right, Venus, but she still should have told us earlier," Raye said. Raye glanced at Ami, who had a very distracted look on her face.   
  
"Hey Mercury, are you alright?" Raye asked.  
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
"Then what's wrong?" Lita asked.   
  
Ami walked over to the pile of sand that was the monster, Sandrock, and pulled out her computer. She knelt on the ground and began analyzing the sand for traces of anything that would give her a clue as to what was going on with the attacks. The other Scouts walked over and stood around Ami as she analyzed the sand and the guys just stood behind, feeling left out of the loop. As Ami sat there with her computer, one thought ran through the minds of the guys: She reminds me of Ami.   
  
Ami's computer beeped at her as it finished analyzing the sand and she said, "I got what I wanted."  
  
"What were you looking for?" Cye asked, surprising everyone, including the guys. Ami stood up and turned towards the other scouts.   
  
Ignoring Cye's remark, she said, "This monster was from the Negaverse. It's made out of the same materials as the other youmas that we've fought in the past. I recognize the materials as the same as the first youma I fought with Sailor Moon. I don't think these droids are related to Beryl..."  
"Well, they can't be. We killed Beryl two years ago," Mina said.  
  
"They're more closely related to the droids that the Negamoon family sent after us. I think that those 5 sisters may even be from the same place as they are," Ami continued.  
  
"But, the Negamoon doesn't exist except for in the future," Raye said.  
  
"Not necessarily true. It was just discovered during Crystal Tokyo. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist now, 1000 years earlier," Ami said, addressing Raye's statement.   
  
"Hello!" Serena exclaimed as she came back into the street, "Aren't we going?"  
  
"Right, I still have to yell at you," Raye said, walking towards Serena.  
  
"Oh, great, just what I need. A lecture from Pyro."  
  
"Oh no, not again," Lita said as she and Mina followed.   
  
Ami stayed behind for a few moments, looking at the pile of sand, before beginning to walk away, but before she could get too far, Ryo grabbed her wrist.   
  
"Excuse me, Sailor Mercury, right?" he asked.  
  
"Yes?" Ami said.  
  
"Um, could you do us a favor? If you happen to see a group of 5 girls walking towards this place, could you tell them that the guys won't be meeting them here?" Ryo asked.   
  
Ami nodded and said, "Sure. I'll do that."  
  
"Great, thanks. Come on, you guys. Let's go home." The guys started to file out and Ami watched them go, her eyes on Rowen the entire time.   
  
"Oh Rowen, you don't know what you've gotten yourself involved in," Ami muttered, her voice full of regret and worry, before turning to go with the other scouts.   
  
***  
A bit ahead of Ami, the Scouts had detransformed in the alley.   
  
"Ok, so spill it. How did you know about the Ronin Warriors and that the guys were them?" Raye asked.   
  
"Well, I..." Serena started to explain when Ami came running up, still as Sailor Mercury.   
She stopped, detransformed, and said, "The guys are going home. Looks like if we want pizza, we're going to have to go eat as just the 5 of us."  
  
"Why'd the guys go home?" Lita asked.  
  
"They were a little exhausted after the fight. And, speaking of which, Serena, how did you know the guys were the Ronin Warriors and how come you never told us?" Ami asked Serena.  
  
"I already asked her that and she's going to explain it to us, right Serena?" Raye said.  
  
"Yes, I am. I found out about the Ronin Warriors when I got my memories of the Moon Kingdom. The Ronin Warriors were part of Darien's guards during the Silver Millennium. They would often come with Darien whenever Darien came to the moon," Serena lied.   
  
She knew she couldn't very well say that they were guards of her cousin. Then the others would know who they really were and she couldn't have the Scouts knowing that they saw the Ronin Warriors die 1000 years ago.  
  
"How did you know the guys were the Ronin Warriors?" Lita asked.  
  
"Well, I could tell when I first saw them, but I was so shocked that telling you completely slipped my mind. After that, it really didn't spring to mind to tell you about them," Serena continued.  
  
"Well, if you didn't mean to not tell us, I guess it's ok. Just stop knowing everything, ok?" Raye said, being surprisingly compassionate.  
  
"Thanks Raye. I promise, if there is anything else I know, I'll tell you right away," Serena said, immediately regretting it because she had broken the promise before it was even made.  
  
"Ok, good," Mina said, "But, now, I'm hungry and I want food. I saw a cute, little Italian place a few streets back. Let's go there."  
  
"Good idea, Mina. I could go for Italian food right about now," Lita said, dragging Mina and Serena by the arm.   
  
Raye and Ami looked at each other and sighed, following the three who were headed out of the alley.   
  
"What a day this had been, huh Raye?" Ami said as they walked down the sidewalk.  
  
"Sure has. Full of surprises," Raye replied.  
  
"Yeah, I couldn't even begin to imagine that the guys were warriors like us," Ami said.  
  
"My only concern is how I'm going to treat Sage now that I know his secret."  
  
"Yeah, I know how you feel," Ami said, "But we'll worry about that later. Let's catch up with the others and get that food."  
  
"Good idea, Ames," Raye said, laughing, as she grabbed Ami's arm and together, they ran to catch up with Lita, Mina, and Serena.  



	16. A Year Abroad Chapter 15

"JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!" Lita cried out, destroying the last of the monsters. As she and the other scouts watched the last monster dematerialize, they all sighed with relief. Lita brushed dust off of her green dress, the dress she wore as Princess Jupiter.   
  
"Great, now we're never going to get to the party on time," Raye said, smoothing out her own red dress.   
  
The Scouts had been walking home to get ready for a Christmas party, one of the last things they were going to do before they went home the next day for two weeks during Christmas break. In the middle of heading home, they got attacked by a small army of monsters, which had taken forever for defeat. They had used so much power that they reverted to their princess state, which could handle a greater amount of power.   
  
Once they had defeated the monsters, they had no time to go home and get ready for a Christmas party. The party was a party put on by the school for parents and students, so the entire affair was going to be elegant with a live orchestra and everything. The other thing about the party was that it was a costume ball and the Scouts had perfect outfits planned out, but would never get the chance to wear them.   
  
"Oh well, it looks like we're going to have to go home," Ami said, disappointed. She really wanted to go; she really wanted to spend the evening with Rowen.  
  
"No we don't," Lita said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.  
  
"What do you mean?" Raye asked.  
  
"Well, we can just go like we are now, in these dresses," Lita said.  
  
"But no one will recognize us!" Serena said, pointing to the Jupiter symbol that glowed on Lita's forehead, "With that symbol protecting your identity, no will be able to recognize you. Kento won't be able to recognize you," Serena finished.  
  
"Which means I'll be able to flirt with him better," Lita said, her voice filled with laughter. All the others liked the idea immediately...except for Ami.  
  
"I don't like that idea," Ami said, "It wouldn't be fair to the guys."  
  
"Aww, come on Ami, how much fun could you have with Rowen?" Lita inquired. Ami only blushed.   
"Actually, I like that idea," Mina said.  
  
"I do too," Raye agreed.  
  
"So, it doesn't matter to you that the guys won't recognize you?" Serena asked, liking the idea more and more every second, her crescent moon mark glowing with her happiness and mirth.  
  
"Nope," said Lita, Mina, and Raye.  
  
"Alright," Serena said, "Let's go like this."  
  
"Come on you guys, we can't go like this!" Ami exclaimed.  
  
"Why not?" all the others said.  
"Because...because...because it's mean! The guys won't be able to tell that it's us," Ami said, coming up with a lame excuse. She just didn't want Rowen to see her in the blue dress that she was wearing.  
  
"Aww, come on Ames, lighten up," Serena said, her eyes begging and pleading Ami to go along with it.  
  
"Alright, with eyes like those, who could resist?" Ami asked, her resolve weakening.  
  
"Great, now, we just transport ourselves there. We're already late as it is. Hey, at least we get to make a dramatic entrance," Serena said, grabbing hands with Raye and Ami. Lita and Mina grabbed hands with the others to make a circle.   
  
Closing their eyes, they whispered, "Princess Planet Teleport!" With a flash of bright light, the Scouts had disappeared from the empty street that they had been standing in.   
  
Moments later, they stood in front of the building that the party was held at. The place where the party was being held was a large mansion. The girls could see people through all windows of the first floor, so they figured that the entire first floor had been opened up to produce one large room that could host a huge party.   
  
From where they were outside, the girls could hear the soft sounds of the orchestra and it reminded them of the balls that took place during the Silver Millennium.   
  
"Shall we go in?" Serena asked the others. The girls only nodded as they began to walk up the steps to the front door. Serena smiled at the others, who smiled back, before opening the door and stepping in. The reaction they got they never expected.  
  
***  
"I wonder where they are," Kento whined as he looked around for the girls.  
  
"I'm sure they're coming. They said they would," Cye reassured.  
  
"But, they're late!" Kento exclaimed.  
  
"Maybe it's a girl thing," Sage said.  
  
"Ah, I don't think so. Everyone else is here but them," Rowen said as he looked around the large room.   
  
Rowen smoothed out his costume, an ancient-looking Samurai uniform done in shades of dark blue, before turning to Ryo, whose costume looked exactly like his, except it was red where Rowen's was blue.   
  
"Hey Ryo, wasn't Mia supposed to come?"  
  
"Yeah, but she had work to do. But, she's sorry that she couldn't come," Ryo said. Ryo looked around at his friends, shaking his head at their costumes. Mia had found them and thought them to be perfect. The 5 costumes were identical in style, but not in color. Ironically, the colors worn by each Ronin Warrior matched the color of their armor. Sage's was green, Kento's was orange, and so on.   
  
Ryo was about to open his mouth to comment on their costumes when a hush fell over the room, even the orchestra fell silent. The Ronin Warriors looked towards the door, which was directly in front of them, and their jaws dropped, Ryo's from recognition and the other guys from pure awe. On top of the stairs that led to the front door, so one could look over the entire room from the front door, were 5 young women who were breathtakingly beautiful.   
  
The one who stood in the middle wore a strapless white dress, on which a pair of large cloth wings was attached. On the front of the dress was a simple, white bow and on her forehead was a gold crescent moon symbol. Her long, golden hair was pulled into two, what could only be described as, meatballs with a long stream of hair flowing from each one. Ryo's eyes widened in recognition. That's the girl from that flashback. Different dress, but it's the same girl! Ryo thought.   
  
On her left was a girl in a blue dress. The dress was obviously fitted for her body. The dress shaped itself to the curves of her body, clearly outlining her slim figure. The dress itself was a halter dress, held up by a thin strap that went around her neck. It wasn't low cut, but the dress was backless, showing off the smooth skin of her back. The dress went to the floor with a slit on the left side that stopped mid-thigh. Her short blue hair had been left alone and on her forehead glowed a blue Mercury symbol.   
  
Standing to the left of the girl in blue was a girl in orange. Her dress was also floor length, but was a different style then the girl in blue. Her orange dress was an off-the-shoulder dress with long sleeves. The front of her dress dipped down, making the front low cut; not extremely low cut, but low enough and the material of the dress clung to her body. On the right side of her dress was a slit that was just as high as the girl with the blue dress, ending about mid-thigh. Her blonde hair was done in a large braid and hung over her right shoulder and on her forehead was an orange Venus symbol.   
  
On the other side of the girl in the white dress was a tall girl in a green dress. Her dress, also floor length like all the others, was dark green in color and was held up by thin spaghetti straps that crossed over on her back, creating an "x". Her back was bare, except for the straps, and the dress started again at the small of her back. She also had a slit on the right side of her dress, but it was smaller, only going up to her knee. Her dress was pretty low cut and also was fitted for her body shape. Her long dark auburn hair was down, cascading down her back, ending in the middle of her back, and on her forehead was a green Jupiter symbol. The last of the 5 girls was perhaps the most devastating beauty of the 5.   
  
Standing on the right of the girl in green, her dress was red and strapless. It looked like it was a little snug but that detail was easily over looked as one took in the whole effect of the dress. The dress went down to the floor and was very slinky. The upper half of the dress was tight-looking, almost like a corset, but there wasn't one. The dress magically stayed up on it's own, but it also managed to hug to her body and at the same time, push everything up. Her dress, at the waist, became a little looser, but only because she had a slit on either side of the dress that went a little past mid-thigh. Her raven hair was pulled up into a bun on the top of her head with long locks of hair escaping the bun, like it was made hastily, and on her forehead was a symbol, a red Mars symbol.   
  
No one in the room had any doubt that these girls had to at least be princesses, if not angels because no one that beautiful really existed, or so they thought. The one in the middle, in the white dress, eyed the room carefully before smiling.   
  
"Well," she said, her grin resonating in her voice, "does anyone mind if we crash this party?" She looked around the room and when no one told her to get out, her smile became wider and she said, "Good."   
  
Serena, who loved the looks she was receiving from everyone in the room, spotted Ryo right in front of her, wearing the perfect costume, as were the other guys. Ryo's costume was almost identical to the outfit he wore in the Silver Millennium, which went for the other guys too. Serena suppressed a giggle and walked over to where Ryo was, the other girls following behind for they had spotted the guys as well.   
  
The crowd parted for Serena and the girls as they made their way to the guys. Serena and the girls stood in front of the Ronin Warriors, much to the envy of every other guy in the room. Serena, who was looking Ryo in the eyes, curtsied deeply, as she had been taught in her younger days.   
  
The other girls followed her example, each of them curtsying to the guy that they liked. The Ronin Warriors thought that they were going to die of cardiac arrest. Here were these beautiful girls, standing in front of them, curtsying deeply for them, as if they themselves were royalty.   
  
Serena was the first to straighten her body. By now, the orchestra had started playing again and people were dancing, the 5 beautiful girls becoming forgotten as everyone turned back to their respective dates.   
  
"Hello, Ryo of Wildfire," Serena said, reveling in the shocked look that formed on the faces of Rowen, Kento, Sage, and Cye, but not Ryo. Ryo only looked curious.   
  
"Who are you?" Ryo asked.  
  
"My name is Princess Serenity, cousin. But, Ronin Warriors, I do not believe you've met my royal court." In a random observation, Serena noticed that they were now mostly alone in the front hall; the majority of the party had moved into the ballroom/dining room. Moving her arm in a sweeping motion, she indicated the two girls on her left.   
  
"On my left are Princess Jupiter and Princess Venus." The two curtsied, respectfully, each of them looking into the eyes of the Ronin Warrior standing in front of them.   
  
"And, on my right are Princess Mercury and Princess Mars." They also curtsied, respectfully.   
  
Rowen was a little confused on the names and couldn't help but remark on that.   
  
"Why are you, except for Princess Serenity, named after planets?"  
  
"Because that's the planet that we come from," Ami said, looking straight into Rowen's eyes, surprisingly, without nervousness. Maybe being in my princess form gives me more confidence, Ami thought, smiling at the object of her affection.   
  
"So, are you aliens?" Kento asked. Serena only laughed   
  
"No," she answered, "We were born on this planet 16 years ago to human parents, so, technically, we're not aliens."   
  
Serena looked back at Ryo and said, "Dear cousin, I'd be honored if I could have the next dance with you."   
  
Ryo only smiled back before saying, "My Lady Cousin, I would love to." Serena giggled lightly while taking the hand that Ryo had extended towards her. Serena and Ryo walked off towards the dance floor, leaving the other 8 people standing there. The girls gave each other mischievous looks before, without warning, grabbing the hand of the guy that they liked and pulling them towards the dance floor.   
  
Sage followed the beauty in front of him in a daze. He could hardly believe that someone as beautiful as the princess standing in front of him would want to spend time with him. As Sage kept his eyes on the girl in front of him, he felt a pang of guilt. In someway, he felt like he was cheating on Raye, but he wasn't even going out with her. So, why do I feel guilty?   
  
By this time, Raye had turned around and was going to start dancing with Sage when she saw the almost miserable look on his face. Confused and really wanting to know what was wrong, she grabbed his hand again and pulled him out of the ballroom. Sage couldn't do anything but follow. She led him to a couple of chairs that were out in the front hall.   
  
She sat down on one and pulled him down to sit on the other.   
  
"What's wrong, Sage?"  
  
"Nothing's wrong." Raye gave him a disbelieving look that cracked Sage's emotional walls.   
"Alright, alright, I'll tell you. I feel like I'm cheating on someone."  
  
"You have a girlfriend?" Raye asked. She never heard about another girl in Sage's life.   
  
Suddenly, she was seeing red, literally, but calmed herself down. He's not your property, you idiot, Raye chided herself.   
"Who is your girlfriend?" Sage only shook his head.   
  
"Oh, I don't have a girlfriend."  
  
"Then, who is this girl that you obviously like so much?"  
  
"Well, she's someone I go to school with."  
  
"What's her name?" Raye wanted to find out the name of this girl and kill her.  
  
"Oh, you don't know her."  
  
"I still want to know," Raye said in a commanding tone of voice.  
  
"Well, if you must know," Sage said pointedly, "Her name is Raye."   
  
Outwardly, Raye showed no emotional change. But, inwardly, she was pleasantly surprised. ME?! It's me? He likes me? Raye thought as she urged him to continue, which Sage did without hesitation.   
  
"I know she's not my girlfriend, or anything, but being attracted to you makes me somehow feel that I am cheating on her, that I'm cheating myself on my feelings, betraying them even." Raye smiled understandingly.  
  
"Why don't you tell this Raye person how you feel?"  
  
"I couldn't do that."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"What if she laughs at me or rejects me? I don't think I could stand that disappointment."  
  
"You won't know unless you try," Raye said. Sage just gave her a look.  
  
"No matter what you say, I'm not going to say anything until I'm sure of her feelings for me."   
  
With those words, Raye felt her heart sink. She so badly wanted to be with him, but she needed to sort out her feelings that were concerned with knowing that Sage was Ronin Warrior before she could be with him on her own terms. So, she couldn't change the way she felt about him outwardly until she was absolutely positive about her feelings for him.   
  
"Well, I'm sure everything will work out for the best," Raye said encouragingly. Sage looked up into Raye's eyes.   
  
"Are you sure?" he asked hopefully.  
  
"Yes, I'm positive," Raye said, her expression softening.  
  
"Well, if you're sure..." Sage said, his statement dissolving into a chuckle. Raye, getting tired of Sage's depressed attitude about his feelings, decided to change the subject.   
  
"Well..." Raye began, but Sage interrupted her.  
  
"How did you know who I was?" Sage asked. Raye only smiled.  
  
"I know everything about you. Well, almost everything." Sage sighed.  
  
"You know so much about me while I know almost nothing about you," Sage said, raising a hand to touch the Mars symbol on Raye's forehead.   
  
Raye shivered as Sage touched the symbol on her forehead. The symbol was a center of her power and Sage's touch of that symbol was very pleasurable.   
  
"Are you ok?" Sage asked, noticing her shiver.  
  
"Yeah, it's just that the symbol on my forehead is very, very sensitive. When you touch it, I shiver."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," Sage said.   
Raye could tell that he really wasn't and said, "Liar." Sage just smiled.  
  
***  
Cye bit his lip nervously as he danced with Mina, although he didn't know that he was dancing with Mina. He glanced up at the symbol on her forehead and suddenly, a thought struck him.   
  
"Excuse me, if you don't mind me asking, but are you at all related to Sailor Venus? You know, of the Sailor Scouts?" Mina looked at him wide-eyed before giggling lightly.   
  
"That, I cannot tell you."  
  
"Why not?" Cye asked.  
  
"Because, I can't. But, I still do battle. I can handle much more power than Sailor Venus can."  
  
"That probably comes in handy in a battle."  
  
"Yeah, but it's kinda awkward while fighting in this dress, though," Mina deadpanned. Cye looked down at her dress and said, "Yeah, I can see how it can get in the way of fighting." Cye looked back up into Mina's smiling face and blushed automatically.   
  
"You're very cute when you blush, did you know that?" Mina said.  
  
"Oh great," Cye said sarcastically. Mina could sense his disappointment in hearing that remark and honestly didn't understand what his problem was. She stood on her toes and whispered into his ear, "I think it's kinda sexy." Cye pulled back and looked at Mina, who was blushing slightly and looking down at the floor.   
  
He gave her a small smile, which went unnoticed by Mina, who was still looking down at the floor. He stopped dancing and removed his hand from hers. Very gently, he put his hand under her chin and tipped up her face.   
  
Feeling very impulsive and extremely brave, Cye gave Mina a kiss on the forehead. Mina froze as a wave of pleasure washed over her. What happened? Did that come from Cye kissing the symbol on my forehead? Mina thought, wide-eyed.   
  
Her body then started to sway a little bit, and Cye put his hands on her shoulders to steady her.   
  
"Are you feeling all right?" Cye asked. Mina nodded, but didn't give an explanation. Cye wasn't going to let it go without one and looked Mina straight in the eye.   
  
"What happened?"  
  
"You kissed me on the forehead."  
  
"Oh, yeah. I'm sorry about that."  
  
"No, it's alright, it's just that you kissed my forehead. I guess the symbol on my forehead is VERY sensitive. You know what I mean, it's like that spot right behind your earlobe where if someone kisses it, you shiver."  
  
"No, actually, I wouldn't," Cye said sheepishly.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I haven't actually had a girlfriend before, so I wouldn't know what you were talking about."  
  
"Then let me show you," Mina said.   
  
She stood up on her tiptoes and planted a soft kiss right behind his left earlobe. Cye did indeed shiver as a tingle went down his spine. After a few moments, he felt normal again and looked down at Mina, who was smiling up at him.   
  
"That's what it felt like when you kissed my forehead." Cye only laughed as they continued to dance.  
  
***  
Ami, who was busy dancing with Rowen, looked past Rowen's shoulder to see Mina kiss Cye on the neck. She laughed slightly, so quietly that Rowen didn't hear it. However, he did feel her laugh as her body shook slightly against his.   
  
"What's so funny?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing, really. It's just that Venus just kissed your friend, Cye." Rowen turned the both of them to look at Cye and Mina, his eyes wide with surprise and shock.   
  
"Where did she kiss him?" Rowen asked Ami, looking down at her again. Ami took her right hand off of his shoulder and tapped the spot behind his ear with her index finger.   
  
"Right here." Ami laughed again as Rowen shivered slightly.   
  
"Guess I'm sensitive there," Rowen said.  
  
"I think everyone is sensitive there," Ami said in a lecturing tone of voice.   
  
"Everybody?" Rowen asked with a particular interest.  
  
"Yes, everyone," Ami repeated, exasperated. Rowen only smiled and moved in closer until his mouth was hovering next to her neck.   
  
Ami could feel his breath on her neck.   
  
"So," she heard him say, "If I were to kiss you here, you would be affected, right?" Ami gulped and nodded. Rowen smiled and kissed her neck, leaving his lips there, sucking on the skin lightly. Ami suddenly felt very lightheaded.   
  
She grabbed on to Rowen's shoulders as he kissed her neck, trying to steady herself. She was extremely sensitive there, or so she now found out. It took all her willpower not to rip his lips away from her neck and kiss him herself. But, she knew that she couldn't. She could tell that Rowen was attracted to this alter ego and she didn't want him to fall in love with Princess Mercury before falling in love with Ami Mizuno, the 17-year old high school junior.   
  
But, Ami couldn't stop the small moan that escaped her lips. Rowen smiled as he heard it. There was something that was highly familiar about the princess that he was dancing with. He couldn't put his finger on it. But, whatever that familiar thing was, it was getting in the way of his falling in love with her.   
  
That's probably for the best, though. I am in love with Ami, although she doesn't know it yet, and I'm probably never going to see this girl after tonight. Rowen thought. He pulled away from her neck, finally letting his lips leave her neck and looked down at her.   
  
"Looks like you're sensitive there, too," Rowen teased, a smirk forming on his face, laughing a bit. Ami only glared at him good-naturedly as they continued to dance.  
  
***  
Kento stared at Lita, not knowing that it was Lita, as they danced. Every now and then, she would look up at his eyes, but quickly blush and look away. Kento looked at Lita in awe. It wasn't everyday that a beautiful girl danced with him.   
  
Unable to hold it in anymore, he opened his mouth and said, "Why are you dancing with me?" Lita looked at Kento with a wide-eyed and shocked expression on her face.   
  
"Why are you asking me that question?" she asked.  
  
"Well, it's just that you could dance with any other guy in this room but, you're standing here, dancing with me. I just want to know why."  
  
"Well, I like you a lot. Does that answer your question?"  
  
"Kind of. But you're so beautiful, I'm beginning to wonder if this is a dream."  
  
"Oh, believe me, it's not a dream," Lita said, absolutely convinced that standing in Kento's arms wasn't a dream.  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"Just believe me," Lita said, pleading with her eyes.  
  
"Alright, I believe you," Kento said, dropping the subject. Lita only smiled at him until something he said finally registered in her head.   
  
"You think I'm beautiful?" she asked. Kento only rolled his eyes.  
  
"Yes, of course I think you're beautiful. You are beautiful. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." Realizing what he just said, Kento blushed and looked away.   
  
Lita smiled tenderly at him before raising a hand to touch his cheek, pushing his head so that she could look straight into his eyes.   
  
"That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me," she said sincerely. Before Kento could say anything, Lita leaned forward, feeling rather daring, and kissed him. Kento, of course, kissed her back.   
  
Lita could feel her heart pounding in her chest. I never knew that it could feel like this. It's so warm and safe, yet...I don't know how to describe it. It's unlike any kiss I've ever experienced. Lita felt the tingles running up and down her spine as she and Kento kissed. It was like every nerve was alive and highly sensitized.   
  
The kiss slowly ended and Lita pulled back to look at Kento, who was looking at her with desire and the beginnings of love in his eyes. Lita breathed in deeply and whispered,   
"Wow." Kento nodded in agreement as the two of them continued to dance.  
  
***  
Serena smiled as she lay her body down on her bed. She was exhausted from hours of dancing at the Winter Ball and all she wanted was to go to sleep. But, as much as she wanted to go to sleep, she couldn't get the images of all the Sailor Scouts and Ronin Warriors dancing out of her head. They were all so adorable and so in love, even though the Ronin Warriors didn't quite know whom they were dancing with. Eh, it's the general idea that matters, Serena thought as she started to drift off to sleep.   
  
But, before sleep could take over, she felt something slightly heavy land on her stomach. Opening her eyes to look at what it could be, she wasn't surprised to see Luna looking at her with curious eyes.   
  
"So, how did the party go? Did you have a good time?"  
  
"Yeah, we did Luna. The girls danced with the guys, which was nice. Though, that in itself was kind of bad," Serena said with her brows furrowed.  
  
"Why is that a bad thing? I thought you wanted all of them to get together."  
  
"I do, but the guys didn't know that they were dancing with the girls."  
  
"How could they not?" Luna asked; Serena was cleverly avoiding the subject and Luna wanted Serena to get to the point.  
  
"Well, it's kind of hard to recognize the girls as the girls when they're protected by a magical barrier." Realization suddenly dawned on Luna.  
  
"Serena, don't tell me that you and the other Scouts went to the ball as your princess forms." Serena averted her eyes and concentrated on her bedspread. Luna sighed in exasperation.   
  
"Oh, Serena, and I bet that you had something to do with it, didn't you?" Serena nodded.   
  
"Well, no one figured out who it was, did they?" Serena shook her head. Luna smiled slightly.   
  
"Well, because it's almost Christmas, I'll be generous and let you girls off." Serena smiled broadly and sat up, scooping Luna up into her arms.   
  
"Thanks Luna; I was worried that you were going to be mad at me.  
  
"But, I'll let you off this time. Don't pull a stunt like that again, ok?"  
  
"Ok," Serena agreed. She stretched and yawned.   
  
"Well, if you don't mind, Luna, I'm going to turn off the light and go to sleep. I've had a long evening."  
  
"Good idea, I'm tired as well. Good night, Serena. I'll see you in the morning."  
  
"Good night, Luna."  



	17. A Year Abroad Chapter 16

Winter came and passed, eventually turning into spring. During that time, the Sailor Scouts got closer to the Ronin Warriors. But as much as the girls loved the Ronin Warriors, they were beginning to miss home and all their friends from home.   
  
Serena began noticing that something wasn't right in the girls' lives and immediately became obsessed with finding a remedy to the problem. She continued searching for a couple of months until an answer presented itself to her. She was talking to Darien and they were talking about how they were going to get together during Spring Break, which was a couple weeks away when suddenly, Serena got an idea. Instead of going home to visit, why didn't she bring Darien and their other friends, namely Ken, Chad, Andrew, and Greg, to visit the girls and surprise them at the same time.   
  
She immediately told Darien about her "brilliant" idea and Darien agreed that it would be good for the girls to see their best guy friends again and that he would do everything in his power to help coordinate it. It took about a week of meticulous planning, but eventually, Serena had worked everything out, with Darien's help, of course.   
  
The other girls knew something was going on, but they didn't know what exactly, but they were, presently, too wrapped up with the Ronin Warriors to fret over what Serena was planning. The girls were concentrating on advancing their relationships with the guys.   
  
Everything seemed to be going fine until Serena's plan went into action. But, Serena's plan was going to cause more trouble than it was going to fix. It seemed that Serena's plan nearly screwed everything up.   
  
***  
Ami looked up at the door at the sound of the doorbell. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she looked down at her watch. I don't think we're expecting anybody. I wonder who could be at the door? Ami thought as she put down the book she was reading and walked the short distance from the living room to the front door.   
  
Opening the door, she smiled broadly as she saw Darien standing there, with an overnight bag in hand.   
  
"Hey Darien, long time no see. How are you doing?"  
  
"Oh, I'm doing fine Ami. And you? How are you holding up?"  
  
"I guess I'm doing ok. Are you staying here this up coming weekend?"  
  
"Yeah, I missed Serena and had to see her. We both agreed that this weekend was perfect for me to stay. Plus, while Serena is in school tomorrow, it will give me time to organize her room for her while she's gone. I haven't seen it and I already know that it needs it, knowing my girlfriend." Ami chuckled.  
  
"Yeah, that's Serena for you. Oh, and speaking of her, I suppose I should let you in so you can see her."  
  
"Yeah, that would be nice." Ami moved aside so Darien could enter the house. He set his bag down in the front hall and slipped off his shoes.   
  
"So, are you glad that tomorrow is Friday, Ami?" Ami sighed.  
  
"Yes, I am. I mean, I love school and everything, but, sometimes, I just need a break and the weekend is perfect for that."  
  
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I hope your weekend goes smoothly," Darien said, though he already knew that it was.  
  
"I hope so too," Ami said.   
  
Their conversation was interrupted as they heard a loud, "MUFFIN!" and a noise that sounded like a herd of elephants, which was actually Serena barreling her way down the stairs, and Serena launched herself into an unsuspecting Darien's arms. Darien would have well nigh fell over if it weren't for his quick reflexes.   
  
The two of them shared a long kiss and Ami watched them enviously. She wanted to have that kind of sweet relationship with Rowen. Her and Rowen were actually starting to get someplace, but it had taken them a long time to do it. Ami only sighed as she picked up her book and moved upstairs to continue reading.   
  
Once Serena and Darien were finished saying hello, Serena pulled back and looked at Darien.   
"Do you think they'll be surprised?" she whispered.  
  
"I think they will. The girls have no idea that the guys are coming down to visit them."  
  
"Where are they? Are they in a hotel for tonight?" Serena asked.  
  
"Yeah, they're in a hotel. Tomorrow, I'll pick them up from the hotel and take them to your school so they can surprise the girls." Serena smiled gleefully.  
  
"Ooh, they'll never know what hit them," she said with a bright smile, "This is exactly what they need, too. To see their best guy friends will be good for them. I can't wait to see how they react."  
  
"Well, Serena, we're just going to have to wait until tomorrow."  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Serena sighed and unraveled her arms from around Darien's neck.   
  
"Well," Serena said, brushing off her clothes, "Let's get you settled in the guest room." Darien went and picked up his bag before following Serena upstairs, all the while thinking about the surprise they had planned for the girls.  



	18. A Year Abroad Chapter 17

The next day at school, Mina sat Indian-style on a bench, underneath the comfortable shade of a tree, as she tried to do her math homework. She stared in deep concentration at one problem that just seemed to like to piss her off until she got fed up. Sighing heavily, she put her pencil back in her backpack and closed her math book, with her homework inside of it, placing the book inside her backpack as well. She took in a deep breath as she leaned back against the bench and closed her eyes. She could feel her body begin to relax, the tension start to slip from her muscles.   
  
She sat like that for a few minutes, just enjoying the peace of the day. She wished she could go home. She didn't have any more classes for the day and she was basically free. But, she was on a closed campus, which meant she couldn't leave until the school opened up the campus. Which was ok with her sometimes because it gave her time to do her homework.   
  
Mina started to drift off when she received a prickly feeling on the back of her neck, like she was being watched. She lifted her head and opened her eyes to peer around her. She looked to her sides before focusing in front of her. What she saw there, she was completely unprepared for.   
  
Standing there was Andrew with his arms crossed over his chest and mock annoyed look on his face. Her eyes widened before she jumped up off the bench and ran towards him, tackling him in a Mina-hug. Andrew was nearly knocked to the ground with the force of Mina's hug, but he managed to stay upright.   
  
"It's about time you noticed me," Andrew said as he hugged her back, "I was standing there for a couple of minutes, just staring at you, waiting for you to notice me. What happened to your warrior skills?"  
  
"They've kind of disappeared," Mina said, disentangling herself from Andrew's hug, "We haven't been fighting a lot lately. I guess I've gotten lazy."  
  
"I say you have. You need to get those skills back up." Mina on gave Andrew a reprimanding look as she grabbed his hand and led him over to the bench that she was sitting at.   
  
"So, why are you here?" Mina asked as they sat down.  
  
"Just because I wanted to visit you. The other guys are here as well and we thought it would be good for you girls to unwind with your guy friends for the weekend because God knows you deserve it." Mina smiled up at Andrew warmly before she spotted a moving figure of out the corner of her eye. She looked at it and found that it was Cye, who was storming away from her.   
  
"Hey Cye!" Mina cried out, but he ignored her. Mina's face took on a hurt look as Cye failed to respond.   
  
"Is that the famous Cye I keep hearing so much about?" Andrew asked.   
  
Mina nodded and said, "I wonder what's wrong with him? Why didn't he answer my call?"  
  
"He probably is just having a bad day," Andrew supplied, trying to ease Mina's anxieties.  
  
"Yeah, you're probably right." But the worried look didn't fade from Mina's face.  
  
***  
A few minutes earlier, Cye was standing way off to the side as he watched Mina do her homework, thinking about how beautiful he thought she was. He watched as Mina gave up on her homework and took the time to relax on the bench.   
  
Ok, this is it. I'm going to march over there and tell her that I love her. I've dragged this out for too long. I've been avoiding the issue, trying to skirt around it, but I have to tell her now, Cye thought as he tried to gather up his courage. He was about to walk towards her when he saw her look around briefly before bolting out of her seat, running towards a guy who was about 20 feet in front of her. She launched herself into his arms and hugged him tightly.   
  
Cye felt his heart break as he hugged her back. By the looks of it, the two of them were really close. Yeah, with the way she's looking at him and talking to him, I'd say he's her boyfriend. Cye's eyes filled with tears at the thought. Why didn't she tell me she had a boyfriend? Did she not trust me enough to know? Well, all I know is that I was a fool to fall in love with her. I opened myself up to her and look what happened. I'd be better off staying out of her life. With that thought, Cye turned around and started running out of there.   
  
He heard Mina call out to him as he ran away, but he ignored her. Probably wants to introduce me to her boyfriend. I don't think I could handle seeing her with another guy. As Cye ran, a couple of tears escaped his eyes and ran down his cheeks. He felt bad for ignoring her, but nothing felt as bad as the heartache he was feeling. He had fallen in love with Mina and because he'd been too cowardly to tell her that he loved her, he had lost her instead.  
  
***  
Lita half smiled, half cringed as she felt a satisfying pop in her neck as she cracked it. God, doing this Literature essay is hard, Lita thought as she looked down at the papers in front of her. Already, the paper was 8 pages long and she wasn't half finished. Well, this is my fault for choosing that class this semester, however much I may love it. Lita put the papers in her binder so they wouldn't blow away with the slight breeze and lay back on the grass that she was sitting on, looking up at the slightly cloudy blue sky.   
  
"Oh yeah, it's spring alright," Lita said as she surveyed the sky. Her view of the sky continued to be unobstructed until a head popped into her vision, looking down at her with a smile on his face. It took Lita a few moments to identify who it was, but when she did, she was pleasantly surprised.   
  
"Ken?" she asked, smiling widely. She stood up and looked at her best guy friend before pulling him into a tight hug. His arms wrapped around her waist as they hugged, pulling her closer.   
  
"Surprise!" Ken said. Lita pulled back, but didn't pull her self out of Ken's arms. Her hands rested on his arms while his arms were still loosely wrapped around her waist.   
  
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming out to visit me?" Lita asked.  
  
"Didn't you hear what I just said?" Ken said with a smile on his face, "Surprise. If I had told you, it wouldn't have been a surprise, now would it?"  
  
"No, I guess not," Lita said with a slight frown on her face before her face brightened up.   
"But now, you can meet all of my friends here!"  
  
"Yeah, and I get to meet this famous Kento, right? The guy you seem to be so in love with?" Lita blushed and Ken knew that Lita was truly in love with him.   
  
Lita, in an attempt to change the subject, said, "So, how's Leah?"  
  
"No you don't. Don't go changing to the topic to my girlfriend. This is about you. Do I get to?" Lita sighed.   
  
"Yeah, you get to." Lita had finally disentangled herself from Ken's arms and was about to sit down when she felt a tap on her shoulder.   
  
She turned around to look at it was and was shocked to find Kento standing there with a look of rage on his face.   
  
"So, do you mind introducing me to your boyfriend, Lita?" Lita's mouth fell open at those words.   
  
"Boyfriend? He's not..."  
  
"Don't even try to lie to me, Lita. I don't want to hear it. I saw you in his arms. There's no need to lie to me. I opened up to you. I thought we were getting somewhere in our relationship. Well, I can see that all along, you were just misleading me. I was a fool to trust you." Kento turned around and began walking away.   
  
"But Kento..."  
  
"I don't want to hear it Lita!" Kento's final words were before he ran off.   
  
Lita stared at Kento's retreating figure with shock on her face. She couldn't believe what had happened. Her life had spun out of control way to fast for her to even comprehend.   
  
"So, that was Kento?" Ken asked. Lita nodded dumbly. Ken noticed that Lita was getting worked up over the incident. He sat down and pulled her to a sitting position as well. Looking at her, Ken could see that there were tears forming in her eyes.   
  
"I'm sure that everything will be ok, Lita. Don't cry over it. It's just a misunderstanding. I'm sure once you tell him who I really am, everything will be cleared up."  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll just try and talk to him later once he's cooled down. We're supposed to get together on Sunday. Maybe I can talk to him then."  
  
"There you go," Ken said with a smile on his face, "Think of the solution, not the problem. I know everything will be ok. Besides, how could he resist your beautiful smile?" Lita blushed and hit Ken on the arm.   
  
"Shut up, you're embarrassing me. Besides you have a girlfriend. I'm sure Leah wouldn't be too happy to hear that you were giving compliments to your best friend."  
  
"Leah's not here right now, so what she doesn't know can't hurt her, right? Besides, she knows I love her more than anything else." Lita smiled at Ken, thinking about how lucky he was and how she wanted to be as lucky as him.  
  
***  
Kento walked away at a pace that was practically running from Lita and her boyfriend, the one that she had failed to mention to him. Kento had seen the way the Lita had acted inside his arms. They looked good together and who was Kento to get in the way of true love? I can't believe I let her lead me on. Why didn't I see it earlier? I'm just a stupid fool to believe that she would want to have anything to do with me, Kento thought. His heart irrevocably broken, Kento made his way home.  
  
***  
Ami smiled at Raye.   
  
"You got it right. Congratulations. See, I told you. You can do chemistry." Raye smiled at Ami's words.   
  
"Right, but I wouldn't be able to do it without your help. So, I accredit all of my chemistry success to you, Ami. You are a wonderful tutor." Ami blushed.  
  
"No I'm not really that great. You have it in you to do chemistry. You just needed a little push." Raye smiled at Ami and was about to thank her when she was interrupted.   
  
"Hard at homework I see."  
  
"Yeah, same as usual. You two are such workaholics." Raye and Ami behind them to see Chad and Greg standing there, smiling at them. The two girls smiled, knowing that Serena had something to do with this, and got up, walking towards their best friends.   
  
Raye ran towards Chad and threw her arms around his neck. Chad's arms circled her waist and he picked her up, spinning her around in a big hug. Ami was a little calmer about the situation. She too gave Greg a hug but as soon as she pulled away from the hug, she stood on her toes to give Greg a kiss on the cheek in welcome.   
  
"So, what are you two doing here?" Raye asked as Chad put her down and she pulled away.   
  
"Well," Greg said, "We came to visit you. Ken and Andrew are also here with us, but they're with Lita and Mina. Do you know hard it was to find you on this campus?" Ami smiled at her best friend.  
  
"Yeah," Chad agreed, "We walked around the whole campus, like, 3 times, trying to find you. You two are hard to find. Even with you guys' hair colors."  
  
"Oh, come on, I'm sure it wasn't THAT hard to find us," Raye said, "You're just over exaggerating...again." Chad smiled sheepishly and changed the subject.   
  
"So Raye, when do I get to meet your boyfriend?"  
  
"Boyfriend?" Raye asked, "When did I manage to get a boyfriend Ami?" Ami shrugged as Raye looked at her with confusion.   
  
Turning back to Chad, Raye said, "Who are you talking about?"  
  
"I'm talking about Sage. Or is he not your boyfriend yet? If he isn't, then let me tell you, you talk about him like he is." Greg had to agree.  
  
"Yeah, you too Ami. The way you talk about Rowen, I swear, he sounds like he's your boyfriend."   
  
Ami blushed and said, "Well, he's not my boyfriend. But, now that you're here, this could be the perfect opportunity for you to meet him."  
  
"Yeah, Chad, you can meet Sage. This is perfect." Raye smiled at her best guy friend. As she looked up at him, she spotted a head of blue hair next to a blonde one. Looking over, she saw Sage and Rowen, looking at the group of 4 with dismayed looks on their faces.   
  
"Look, there's Sage and Rowen," Raye said before she noticed the looks on their faces. The whole group turned to look at Sage and Rowen.   
  
"Which one's Rowen, Ami?" Greg asked.  
"He's the one with blue hair. Just like mine."   
Raye was about to call out to them when she suddenly noticed the looks on their faces, just as Ami did.   
  
"It looks like something's wrong," Raye said.  
  
"Yeah, I wonder what's wrong." Raye and Ami looked at Sage and Rowen with worried gazes as the two guys turned and walked away, looking all for the world like they had been defeated. Raye and Ami shared a look. They would figure out what was wrong if it was the last thing they did.  
  
***  
Sage could feel the tears rise in his throat.   
  
"Rowen, remind me never to fall in love again."  
  
"No problem, but only if you do the same for me," Rowen said, his whole body trembling. Rowen and Sage had seen Raye and Ami with those two guys.   
  
"I wonder if those guys are their boyfriends," Rowen asked.  
  
"They have to be," Sage said dejectedly, "I mean, look at the way Ami and Raye acted around them. They have to be their boyfriends. Otherwise, who could they be?"  
  
"I don't know. Though I wish I did," Rowen muttered.   
  
"Well, that is the last time I fall in love. Look what happens when you do? You only get your heart trampled on." Rowen nodded in agreement. He felt like someone had ripped out his heart and shattered it into a thousand pieces, leaving him to collect all the pieces.   
  
Both of the guys were heart broken and were sure that no amount of caring would ever fix the pain they now felt.  
  
***  
Serena opened the door to see a confused, pissed off Ryo standing on her front step. Before Serena could say anything, Ryo walked into the house and sat down in the living room.   
  
"Come in," Serena said sarcastically as she shut the door.   
  
Serena took a seat next to Ryo, waiting for him to say something. He must have a reason for barging in like this and if he doesn't give it to me soon, I'm just going to ask him or beat it out of him, Serena thought as she looked at Ryo, who now wore a pensive look on his face, as if he were gathering his thoughts.   
  
Turning towards Serena, he took in a deep breath and spoke.   
  
"Serena, do the girls have boyfriends?" Serena's mouth fell open in shock. How was she supposed to respond to that?  
  
"Of course they don't!" Serena exclaimed, "Where did you get an idea like that?"  
  
"From the guys. After they came home from school this afternoon, they were all in bad moods and it turns out that they think that the girls have boyfriends."  
  
"How did they come to that conclusion?" Serena asked; she needed to get to the bottom of this.  
  
"Well, they saw the girls with other guys that they seemed to be rather close to. I really don't know because I wasn't there, but from what I could get from the guys, these supposed 'boyfriends' were rather close to the girls. What's up with that Serena?"   
  
"I don't really know any guys who could be close to the girls except..." Serena trailed off as realization hit her. Slapping a hand to her forehead, she groaned.   
  
"Oh God, I messed everything up. Ryo, this is all my fault."  
  
"How is it your fault, Serena?"  
  
"Well, you know those guys that we're talking about? Those are our friends. They're our best guy friends: Andrew, Ken, Chad, and Greg. Darien and I brought them out here to surprise the girls and to cheer them up because we thought that they needed a taste of home." Serena sighed and slumped back against the couch.   
  
"It turns out that instead of doing any good, I only made things worse." Ryo gave Serena a reprimanding look.  
  
"Well, Serena, this is all just big misunderstanding. I'm sure that once things are explained, everything will be back to normal."  
  
"I hope so. They were all so close to hooking up and we're so close to leaving."  
  
"Well, you girls aren't all that far away, you know," Ryo said comfortingly.  
  
"No, we're only all the way across the country."  
  
"But, you'll only be like that for a couple of months." Serena looked at Ryo with a perplexed look.  
  
"What are you talking about Ryo?" Ryo smiled.  
  
"Well, let's just say that, with Mia's help, I've managed to arrange it so that the guys and I are going to school with you next year." Serena looked at Ryo with shock before her face broke out into a gigantic smile. She threw her arms around Ryo in a hug.  
  
"Ryo, that's the most wonderful news I've ever heard. That's terrific."  
  
"You can't tell the girls, however. It's supposed to be a surprise, but I thought that you should know. So, can you keep this a secret?" Ryo silently prayed to Serena that she would be able to keep it a secret. If she spilled it, the whole thing would be ruined.  
  
"Yeah, I can keep it a secret. I'm good at keeping secrets. So, when do the girls find out?"  
  
"At the end of the school year. Think you can hold it in that long?"  
  
"Of course I can. They won't hear a word about it from me, promise." Ryo smiled at Serena.  
  
"I knew I could trust you, Serena."  
  
"Yeah, you can. Now, what do we do about this whole misunderstanding?"  
  
"Wait for it to pass, if it will. There's nothing else we can do."   
  
Serena sighed deeply at Ryo's words. She hoped for the sake of her friends that everything worked out. They had more connections to each other than they knew, connections that could never be broken.  
  
"It will pass," Serena said confidently, "It will pass."  



	19. A Year Abroad Chapter 18

In a parallel universe, Pyrope sat around with her 4 sisters, absolutely bored out of her mind.   
  
"Come on," she whined, "We need to do something. It's been forever since we've had a good fight and I'm getting antsy."  
  
"Oh, don't worry your pretty head about it," Serpentine said, flipping her dark sea green hair over on shoulder.  
  
"Yeah Pyrope, our time for action will come," Rubellite said.  
  
"But," Axinite, the leader, said, "I think the time has come to face those annoying Sailor Scouts and defeat them once and for all."  
  
"What do you suggest, Axinite?" Lazulite said, her eyes shining with curiosity. Axinite only chuckled evilly as a plan began forming in her head.  
  
***  
Two days later, on a Sunday, Mina was walking through the park by herself, dragging her feet on the ground before her. Andrew had left to go back to Tokyo that morning, leaving Mina by herself, and Cye wasn't talking to her. She had called him earlier that day and he was rude to her on the phone before promptly hanging up on her.   
  
Mina frowned. She just didn't get it. Why was Cye ignoring her? Was it something she did? Mina really needed to know. The guy she was in love with was ignoring her and it hurt more than anything. She picked up her head to look in front of her and, wonder of all wonders, she saw Cye sitting on a park bench with an absolutely miserable look on his face.   
  
As much as she wanted to go over to him, she hesitated, examining him closely before making her move. He looks...depressed. Like he's lost everything. I wonder what's wrong with him? Did someone close to him die or something? Mina thought as she looked at him. Gathering up her courage, she slowly made her way over to him. She stopped by the park bench and just continued to stare at him before announcing herself.   
  
"Hey Cye," she said softly, catching his attention. Cye jumped in surprise before looking up at Mina. The moment he did so, Mina knew he had been crying.   
  
"What's wrong Cye? Talk to me. I thought we were friends."  
  
"There's nothing wrong with me," Cye said bitterly as he stood up and began walking away from Mina.   
  
Mina had had enough. First he hung up on her over the phone and now he blew her off. Well, Mina Aino wasn't going to take it anymore.   
  
"Stop Cye. Why are you ignoring me? What did I do to you? Just tell me! I thought we were getting somewhere in our relationship, to a point where you could trust me with anything. What have I done to hurt that?" Cye turned around and glared at her.   
  
Mina took a few steps back, scared of the disappointed look in his eyes. He looked really troubled about something.   
  
"Why don't you go off with your little boyfriend and leave me alone. I don't want to talk about it with you."  
  
"Boyfriend?" Mina asked.  
  
"Yeah, you know, the guy I saw you with on Friday." Mina's eyes widened in understanding and realization.  
  
"Oh, Cye, you don't understand..." Mina said in a voice no higher than a whisper, looking away from him.  
  
"What don't I understand?" Mina took a step towards Cye and was about to speak when a female voice called out to Mina.   
  
"Well, well. I finally found you." Mina and Cye both turned to look at where the source of the noise came from and froze. In front them was Lazulite, grinning evilly and triumphantly.   
  
"No," Mina whispered, backing away from the monster and the memories it brought back.   
  
She remembered where she had seen that monster before. She battled it the day she got her memories of the Silver Millennium back. Cye, who had heard Mina whisper, turned towards Mina and said,   
  
"Do you...do you know her?" Mina didn't answer; she only stared at Lazulite.  
  
"It was hard tracking down your power source, but I finally found you. I recognize your power signature from when we fought all those months ago and you defeated me. Well, now it's your turn to get a taste of defeat!" Lazulite spat out as she shot out a beam of energy that hit Mina in the stomach, sending her flying back several feet.   
  
Cye watched wordlessly as Lazulite hurt the girl he loved. He looked at the form of Mina, struggling to pull herself to her feet and he felt his anger rising; he knew what he had to do. Facing the monster, who was advancing Mina, he stepped in between Mina and Lazulite.   
  
"You lay a finger on her and I'll tear you to pieces."  
  
"And who do you think you are threatening me like that, boy?" Lazulite said in a mocking tone of voice.   
  
Cye felt his blood boil in his veins as he made a final decision. He wasn't going to sit around and watch Mina get hurt. He was going to protect her, even if he couldn't have her. Deciding that he could trust Mina enough to guard his most precious secret, Cye pulled out his kanji ball and cried out, "ARMOR OF TORRENT!" Mina's eyes widened as she watched Cye transform into his sub-armor.   
  
"No," she whispered to herself, but she wished Cye could hear. "Don't do it. You're only going to get yourself hurt."   
  
But there was nothing she could do to stop him because before she could say anything, Cye had called out the words that would activate his armor.   
  
"ARMOR OF TORRENT, DAO SHI!" With a bright flash of light, Cye appeared in his Torrent armor, his weapon in hand, ready to fight. Mina looked on with tears in her eyes as Cye and Lazulite began fighting and it was obvious that Cye wasn't getting anywhere.   
  
"I don't know why you bother, boy," Lazulite said as she threw a bolt of power at Cye, knocking him off his feet and sending him to the ground.   
  
Cye gasped for air as it was knocked out of him. He had landed on the ground on his back hard. He closed his eyes. He knew the end was coming. I'm so sorry...Mina.   
  
"No one challenges the great Lazulite and lives!" She was about to move in for the final kill when Mina found her strength and stood up, crying out, "NO!" Both Lazulite and Cye turned to look at Mina, who was standing on her feet, albeit a little shakily.   
  
Lifting her head to look at Lazulite, Mina said, "I won't let you hurt him anymore. You're battle isn't with him. It's with me. If you want a fight, you'll get it."  
  
"Mina," Cye whispered, not believing the words out coming out of her mouth. Just how did she expect to fight? What happened next, Cye wasn't prepared for.   
  
He saw Mina reach behind her back to pull out a small object, an object he recognized, but couldn't place where he had seen it before. He then saw her raise it above her head and call out, "VENUS STAR POWER!" The moment those words left her mouth, Cye was blessed with an epiphany. Suddenly, everything made sense. The coincidence that the Sailor Scouts and the 5 girls arrived in Toyama on the same day was no longer a coincidence: they were the same people.   
  
Mina stared at Lazulite, who stared back. It was like they were trying to psych each other out. Wordlessly, Mina made her move.   
  
"VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!" As her attack made its way for Lazulite, the blue-skinned girl struck back with her own attack and the two attacks met head on, each one vying for dominance over the other. Each girl poured as much energy into their attacks and Cye watched in total amazement as the amount of power increased by the second.   
  
Before Cye could intercede and help Mina out, a bright ball of orange colored light surrounded her, temporarily blinding both Lazulite and Cye. When the light faded, both Lazulite and Cye opened their eyes to see Mina standing in front of them, wearing her princess dress. Cye suddenly realized how stupid he had been to not see it earlier. Mina, Sailor Venus, and the girl he met on the night of the Winter Ball were all the same person. Why hadn't he seen it before?   
  
Lazulite screamed in rage and launched another attack on Mina, which Mina counteracted with a blast of pure power. Now the two equaled each other and Cye decided that it was time to shift the balance. Stepping up so that he was standing besides Mina, he cried out, "SUPER WAVE SMASHER!" Mina, who was temporarily surprised to see Cye standing next to her, gave him a warm, grateful smile before turning back to face their enemy.   
  
Lazulite only responded with an increase in her power, one that equaled the force Cye and Mina were sending at her. But, it was the maximum amount of power that she could send at the two and she knew it. But, it was still an overwhelming force for Cye and Mina. Mina was throwing as much power as she could at Lazulite, but Cye still hadn't reached his maximum. As the amount of power Cye threw at Lazulite grew, so did his rage at her.   
  
Eventually, the amount of power he was using was too much for his Ronin Warrior form to handle. In a matter much the same as Mina's previous experience, a bright blue light surrounded Cye and when it faded, he stood in his uniform from the Silver Millennium. It resembled the outfit that Prince Darien wore during the Silver Millennium, but with a few changes.   
  
Instead of a bright red lining in Cye's cape, it was a dark blue (AN: yes, I know that sounds like Rowen, but just wait until I get there) and when light shone on his chest armor at exactly the right point, the color of the armor was not black, but actually a dark blue as well. Mina glanced as Cye as she tried to focus her power on Lazulite.   
  
The moment she looked at him, she suddenly remembered who it was she watched die in the Silver Millennium. It was Cye! Cye was her lover from the Silver Millennium. The shock nearly broke her concentration, but she managed to keep focused on Lazulite. I can't believe it. It's Cye. And he's alive! I didn't lose him forever after all! One last glance at Cye told her that he too was remembering what happened to him during the Silver Millennium.   
  
The experience ended and Cye's eyes cleared and focused once more on the scene in front of him. He and Mina shared a knowing look, a million thoughts being passed with one gaze, before sending one last burst of power at Lazulite. The sudden power surge was too much for Lazulite to handle and she succumbed to the might of the combined power and with a final scream, she let the power tear her apart, too weak to resist it.   
  
As the power disintegrated Lazulite, Mina and Cye shut off the flow of power coming from the two of them after they felt no resistance, the both of them exhausted from the battle. And then they stood there, staring at each other with wide eyes, not sure how to react around each other after the knowledge they both just received. They were both looking at each other with new eyes, like they were seeing each other for the first time.   
  
They stood there motionless until Mina's eyes filled with tears and she launched herself at Cye, wrapping her arms around him as she started to cry. Cye was temporarily taken aback by the action, but he soon responded in kind, taking Mina into her arms and cradling her against his chest as she cried. He shut his eyes and rested his cheek against top of her head, a smile on his face. He had finally found what he was looking for in his life and he wasn't about to let her go.   
  
"I thought I lost you. I thought I would never see you again," Mina said as she sobbed in relief, incredibly overjoyed to have her true love back.  
  
"And I'm never leaving you again, Mina. I promise." Mina smiled as her tears began to subside. She felt so safe and warm inside Cye's arms, like she never wanted to leave.   
  
Once Cye sensed that Mina had calmed down, he pulled away from her slightly to look her in the eyes.   
  
"There's just one question that I have for you, Mina."  
  
"What is it, Cye?" Mina asked, wanting to know what it was.  
  
"Who was that guy that was with you on Friday?" Mina smiled and shook her head slightly, all the while looking up into Cye's eyes.  
  
"Do you really want to know who that was?" she asked with a teasing tone of voice.  
  
"Yeah, I do."   
  
Mina smiled even broader and said, "That was Andrew. Serena and Darien had brought him down to surprise me. You saw me with my best guy friend." Cye was shocked.  
  
"You mean he's not your boyfriend?" Cye asked. He was sure that that guy was her boyfriend. He thought that he had lost her.  
  
"No! Of course he's not. I mean, yeah, sure, I had a crush on him when I first met him. But, once I found out that he had a girlfriend and I actually got to know him better, I considered him nothing more than a friend. And then I met you."  
  
"What about me?" Cye was curious to know. He needed to know. Mina gazed up at him.  
  
"When I first met you, that day that you saw me as Sailor Venus for the first time, before you met me as Mina, I knew there was something special about you because I immediately fell in love with you.   
  
"But I didn't know if you loved me back or not so as our friendship grew, I stayed silent because I didn't want to ruin our friendship in case you didn't love me back."  
  
"Not love you back?" Cye squawked, "How could I not love you back? You came into my life like an angel from above and I fell in love with you on the spot. I couldn't believe that someone like you could have any interest in me at all. I love you so much Mina, it's unbelievable."  
  
"Really?" Mina said with tears of joy in her eyes. She had finally found her true love and it made her so happy.  
  
"Really. I couldn't love anyone else but you. I never have and never will love anyone else but you." Cye's hand came up to gently cup Mina's face as he used his thumb to wipe away some of the tears that she had shed.   
  
"No more tears, princess," Cye whispered as he lowered his face to hers, "I'll never give you cause for tears again." Mina smiled at him before she raised her face to hers, meeting him halfway as their lips met in their first kiss in over a thousand years. Cye pulled her closer to him with no objections on Mina's behalf. Their souls had been waiting for this for over a thousand years and now that it had come, neither of them wanted the bliss to end.  



	20. A Year Abroad Chapter 19

Lita waited patiently, sitting in the middle of the soccer field of her school where she and Kento were supposed to meet to talk. It originally was going to be a time for the two of them to hang out, but after the incident on Friday afternoon, she and Kento needed to talk. After Ken left that morning to go back to Tokyo with the other guys, she called up Kento and told them that they needed to talk. Kento reluctantly agreed, saying that, yes, they did need to talk.   
  
So now, she sat there, waiting for Kento so she could talk to him and explain to him the misunderstanding. She just hoped that he would understand. As she sat there, her legs crossed Indian-style with her hands in her lap, thinking about what she was going to say to Kento, he walked up behind her. Lita didn't notice him sneak up behind her and was thoroughly surprised when he called out her name.   
  
"Hi Lita," Kento said. Lita jumped and turned her head to see him. She stood up, facing him.   
  
"Hello Kento." An awkward silence fell over the two of them and it was a few moments before one of them spoke.  
  
"So, we have to talk, don't we?" Lita said quietly.  
  
"Yes, we do." Lita looked into Kento's eyes and almost hesitated to speak at the look she found in them.   
  
He seemed angry with her, betrayed. But, behind that anger lingered a hint of disappointment. Lita would do anything to make that look disappear.   
  
"I think you know what this is about," Lita said.  
  
"Yes, I do. It's about you and your new boyfriend." Lita felt her blood start to boil. From the sounds of it, he didn't sound like he wanted to listen.   
  
"Look," Lita said, gritting her teeth, "that guy that you saw me with on Friday isn't my boyfriend."  
  
"Listen Lita, you don't need to lie to me to keep from hurting my feelings. I know that guy was your boyfriend. You two make a cute couple."   
  
Lita felt like she was ready to explode. He just wasn't getting it. She was just going to have to knock some sense into him. Literally. Kento flew back a few feet as Lita's fist came in contact with his face. Kento turned his face back to look at Lita, surprised at the strength that she possessed. What surprised him even more is that when he looked at Lita, he could see the tears gleaming in her eyes. Why was she crying?   
  
"Listen here, Kento," she said, her voice quavering as tears starting running down her cheeks. "I don't know why you can't get it through your thick head, but the guy you saw me with on Friday wasn't my boyfriend. There's no way that he could be my boyfriend. Do you know who that was?" Kento only shook his head. So, Lita told him.   
  
"That was Ken, my best friend from back home. He came down to surprise me with a visit because I hadn't seen him in a long time. I was never going out with him. I've never even considered it."   
  
Lita paused to wipe the tears away from her eyes and to take in a deep breath before continuing. Once I say these next words, there's no going back. I'll have revealed everything, Lita thought before saying, "Besides, how could I go out with anyone else when I'm in love with you?" Kento felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. She was in love with him?   
  
"Lita," he whispered, still not believing it.  
  
"That's right. I love you, you idiot. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. And, although I don't know why, I still love you despite the fact that you've rejected me. And I would do anything if you would be my friend again."   
  
Kento was dumbfounded. He didn't anticipate this turn of events. But, before he could respond in any way, a feminine laugh filled both the ears of Lita and Kento.   
  
The two of them turned to see a woman with dark maroon skin, standing in front of them with a triumphant look on her face. Flipping her deep red hair over her shoulder, she said,   
"I'll give you something. You are one hard girl to track down." Lita took a few steps backwards, remembering who the woman was and the damage she had caused Lita. Lita turned to run, pushing Kento along with her.   
  
Both of them had only taken a few steps when the monster jumped in the air and landed in front of the two, glaring at them.   
  
"Now, now. It doesn't do you any good to run from sweet little Pyrope. Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you too much. Just enough so that you'll feel what I felt the last time we fought." A smile her only warning, Pyrope sent a stream of fire towards Lita and Kento. Lita stood there frozen as the attack hurled towards her and Kento. She couldn't move. Too many memories were of their last fight were coming back. So, it was up to Kento to do something.   
  
Sensing Lita's fear, he dove for her, knocking them both to the ground, effectively dodging the attack. Kento got off of Lita and faced Pyrope, standing in between her and Lita.   
  
"Hey, watch it with that fire," Kento said threateningly, "No one tries to hurt my girl and gets away with it." Lita's eyes widened in surprise at Kento's words. His...girl? Is he saying...   
  
Before Lita could explore the thought any farther, Kento had pulled out his kanji ball and used it to transform into his sub-armor. Lita could feel her heart skip a beat. No! He's going to fight for me. He's going to get himself killed.   
  
"Kento, don't do it!" Lita shouted. Kento turned around and gave Lita a quick smile, his only explanation, before transforming.   
  
"ARMOR OF HARDROCK! DAO GI!" Within seconds, Kento stood there in his Hardrock armor, ready to fight against Pyrope. He was ready to anything to protect Lita, even if it meant dying for her. Kento lunged at Pyrope, trying to catch her off guard, but she was too quick for him.   
  
"Well, well, looks like someone wants to fight me. I guess I'll let you give it a shot. But don't be too disappointed when you lose."   
  
As Kento and Pyrope started fighting, Lita watched, hoping that Kento would get the upper hand. But, he never did. Lita could see that Kento was tiring out. Pyrope was a more powerful opponent than Kento had ever faced by himself.   
  
Lita became furious. This battle was between her and Pyrope, not Kento and Pyrope. It was time to step up for her own fight.   
  
Getting to her feet, Lita called out, "Hey Pyrope!" Both Kento and Pyrope stopped fighting and turned to look at Lita.  
  
"Have you decided to fight me?" Pyrope asked.  
  
"Yeah, I have," Lita said with an edge to her voice; she was going to finish this once and for all.  
  
"But Lita, how do you expect to fight?" Kento asked her. Lita pulled out her transformation pen and looked at it gravely. It had been months since she had fought. She wasn't so sure that she could do it.   
  
Her fist tightened around her transformation pen. She had to do it. This was her fight and she was determined to win it.   
  
Looking up at Pyrope, Lita said, "Prepare to meet your end, Pyrope." Raising her transformation pen in the air, Lita shouted out, "JUPITER STAR POWER!" Pyrope smiled maliciously. So, she had found the right girl.   
  
Kento, on the other hand, couldn't believe his eyes. Lita and Sailor Jupiter are the same person? Kento thought as Sailor Jupiter took Lita's place. Pyrope abandoned Kento and turned to Lita.   
  
"So, you're ready to fight me, I see?"   
  
"Yeah, and you're going to lose," Lita said before calling out her attack.   
  
"JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!" Lita sent out a bolt of electricity followed by a stream of it towards Pyrope, who countered with an attack of fire. Both sides poured everything they had into their attacks while Kento just stood there, watching with a look of amazement and revelation on his face. So many things make sense now, Kento thought as his mind mulled over the information that he just received.   
  
As he thought about everything that had happened for the past 8 months, one more bit of information was revealed to him. As he watched the battle and the amount of energy being tossed around increased all the while, it got to a point where Lita's Sailor Scout form couldn't handle the amount of power coursing through her veins. Before Kento knew what was happening, a ball of green light surrounded Lita, temporarily blinding Kento.   
  
When it faded and Kento could see again, he saw Lita standing there, wearing a green dress, one that he had seen before; Lita's Princess Jupiter dress. His eyes went wide with surprise and his jaw went slack. He couldn't believe it. His mind made one more connection. Not only was Lita Sailor Jupiter, but she was also the girl that he met on the night of the Winter Ball all those months ago, the girl that he kissed. He stared on in shock before he realized the fatigued look on Lita's face and realized that Lita was giving the battle her all.   
  
"Kento," she forced out, "Please, help me." Kento could hear the weariness in her voice as he moved to help her. He rushed to stand next to her and once he was next to her, he called out his attack.   
  
"IRON ROCK CRUSHER!" The attack hit Pyrope and she upped the power level on her own attack. Lita and Kento were both amazed at how much power this one creature possessed; it was an overwhelming force and Lita and Kento didn't know if they could win.   
  
Pyrope laughed, covering up her own growing sense of fatigue, and said, "You two aren't powerful enough; you don't have what it takes to beat me." Kento's eyes narrowed and he glared at the evil creature. His blood boiling in rage at her comment, he proceeded to pour more power into his attack, even if just to prove her wrong.   
  
Lita could feel the power radiating off of him as she concentrated on Pyrope. She somehow knew that Pyrope was reaching her limit and if Kento could come up with enough power to best Pyrope, they would win. Glancing over at Kento, she was surprised to see the sudden turn of events. Kento was beginning to glow orange. With a loud shout, a bright ball of orange light surrounded Kento, causing Lita and Pyrope to turn their eyes away.   
  
When it was safe for them to look again, both of them fixed their gazes on Kento. Lita was shocked. His armor has disappeared, leaving in an outfit that much resembled Prince Darien's, except that Kento's was a dark burnt sienna, so dark that it was almost black, but one could see that it was still a deep orange color. The cape that was around his shoulders was black on the outside and the inside of his cape was a dark orange color, not as dark as his armor color, but still dark nonetheless.   
  
Lita nearly stopped breathing as she remembered where she had seen that outfit before. It was the outfit her lover wore during the Silver Millennium. But, wait a moment. If that is the outfit my lover wore during the Silver Millennium, then that means... Lita thought as her eyes went wide. Kento was her lover from the Silver Millennium. Tears of relief filled her eyes as she realized that her true love wasn't lost from her forever.   
  
She looked at his face and saw that his eyes held a glazed look, like he was off in another world. Lita marveled at the fact that he could be lost in his memories while still keep up his attack against Pyrope. When his eyes cleared, he looked over at Lita, his heart in his throat.   
  
"Lita, I..." he began, but Lita cut him off.  
  
"After we deal with her, Kento, then you can say what you want to say." He nodded and they focused their attentions back on Pyrope.   
  
As they fixed their attentions back on Pyrope, Pyrope shivered. There was something different about the two of them, something that didn't mean good news for her. She upped the power level as far as she could before she felt herself hitting her limit; she hoped it would be enough to keep her alive. But, it wasn't meant to be.   
  
With one last blast of power, Lita and Kento broke through. Pyrope couldn't counter the attack and was bombarded by pure power. With a scream, she disintegrated as the power coursed through her body and as quickly as it began, it ended, leaving a very exhausted Lita and Kento.   
  
Lita's knees gave out and she collapsed. She prepared to hit the ground when she felt a pair of strong arms holding her up, keeping her from hitting the ground. She looked over to see Kento staring into her eyes. She stared at him with the same gaze; it was a gaze filled with wonder, amazement, and love.   
  
"Ok, now I can say it," Kento said, "This is what I wanted to say before Pyrope or whoever that was interrupted us." Taking in a deep breath, Kento smiled softly at Lita.  
  
"Lita, I'm sorry for overreacting. I was just heartbroken. I thought that guy was your boyfriend and that I had lost you permanently. The reason why I was so hostile was that I was trying to shut off my feelings for you. Over the last 8 months, my feelings for you have grown and when I saw you with that guy, I thought that you could never return the same feeling." Kento smiled sheepishly.   
  
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I love you, Lita." Lita smiled broadly before looping her arms around his neck, moving her face closer to his.   
  
Before their lips met, Lita whispered, "I love you too." Their lips met in their first real kiss in a thousand years because this time, they both knew who they were kissing and they had never been happier.  



	21. A Year Abroad Chapter 20

Raye looked at the sight around her with wonder. The traditional Japanese park that she was in was filled with cherry blossoms, which were always a beautiful sight to behold, especially in the spring. She came down to that particular park for a little bit of relaxation.   
  
She had spent the entire weekend with Chad, just talking and hanging out, and now she needed some alone time where she could think. But, at that moment, looking at all the cherry blossoms, basking it its beauty all by herself seemed to be a waste; there should be someone there with her to share it with. It was a shame to have all this wonder in front of her and to have no one see it with.   
  
As she held out her hand, a couple of cherry blossom petals floated into her hand, as if obeying her beckoning. She smiled as she held the delicate petals in her hand; she realized who she wanted to be with her at that moment. Sage should be here; he would love it here, Raye thought. The moment that the thought entered Raye's mind, her smile faded and a look of confusion and slight hurt appeared on her face. I wonder what's wrong with Sage? Raye thought.   
  
She had tried calling Sage to ask him if he wanted to get together with her after Chad left, but all she got was Ryo saying that he didn't want to come to the phone at the moment. Maybe I should go over there and talk to him; he might talk to me if confronted by me in person, Raye thought. She really wanted to help Sage with whatever was wrong with him and not knowing was killing her slowly. She loved him too much to let him suffer by himself.   
  
Raye was so deep in love with Sage that she was too scared to tell him so. I mean, I know he told me that he loves me at the Winter Ball, but he didn't know it was me he was talking to. I should have no reason to be scared of telling him that I love him, but something is holding me back and I don't know what it is.   
  
"Yes you do," a small voice inside her head told her.  
  
Then what is it?   
  
"It's the memory of your lover from the Silver Millennium that's holding you back. You're waiting for him to show up. He's the one you really love."  
  
But, I really love Sage as well. Can it be possible that I am in love with two people at once?   
  
"Well," the voice said, "You're going to have to choose between the two of them; make sure that when you do choose, the person who you don't will be the person who would be hurt the least by your rejection."   
  
Raye sighed; her conscience was right. She had to choose between Sage and her lover from the Silver Millennium; that was the thing that was holding her back. Sighing, she began walking down the path that would lead her out of the park; she felt an insatiable need to take a long, bubble bath.   
  
As she came into a large clearing, she spotted the one person that she wanted to see more than anything. With his back to her, Sage was admiring the cherry blossoms, just as Raye was doing. Raye smiled and went to go to him but when she noticed his posture, she froze. The way his shoulders hung portrayed a feeling of defeat and sorrow. Raye's face took on a look of worry; she had never seen Sage so downtrodden before and now she really needed to know what was wrong.   
  
Walking up behind him, she said tentatively and quietly, "Hi Sage." Sage jumped slightly in surprise and turned around to see Raye standing there. His face hardened into a look of contempt in order to cover up his heartache. Raye took a few steps back at the look in his eyes: pain and sadness covered up by harshness.   
  
"What do you want?" Sage hissed, his voice low. Raye flinched at his tone of voice. She could tell that he was covering up hurt with hostility. She walked forward until she was standing right in front of him.   
  
Laying her hand on his arm lightly, she asked, "Sage, what's wrong? Is it something I did?"  
  
"Why do you care?" Sage asked, yanking his arm away from her touch, turning his back to her once more.  
  
"Why do I care?" Raye repeated, "I think that answer would be obvious; you're one of my best friends and I care when you're not feeling right."  
  
"Well, it's nothing that would concern you," Sage said softly; Raye could hear the despair in his voice; he sounded lost.  
  
"Of course it concerns me. Tell me what it is so I can help you." Raye was practically in tears from frustration. Couldn't he see that she was practically begging him to tell her?  
  
"Don't you want to go and help your boyfriend out instead?" Sage asked. Raye looked physically taken aback.  
  
"Boyfriend?" she said, trying the word out on her tongue, "What are you talking about, Sage?" Sage turned to face her again and advanced on her.  
  
"Oh, don't play dumb with me. I know all about your new boyfriend. I saw you with him on Friday afternoon."  
  
"Ah, I see now," Raye said, chuckling a little. She saw the misunderstanding. Sage eyed Raye speculatively.  
  
"What's so funny?" he asked in response to her giggle.  
  
"Sage," Raye said, sighing in exasperation, "That guy you saw me with on Friday was Chad. You remember, my best guy friend?"   
  
Sage's eyes widened in shock and his mouth opened and closed a few times, muttering inapprehensible sounds.  
  
"Was this the thing that had you so worked up, Sage?" Raye said and smiled as Sage looked away from her and blushed slightly. He nodded slightly.  
  
"And why do you care? What difference would it make to you if I had a boyfriend or not? You have to have a reason for getting so worked up, Sage. You have a specific and thought out reason for everything; I know you all too well, Sage." Sage gulped as he looked at Raye.   
  
Was he even ready to tell her how he felt about her? His eyes met hers and in them, he saw the genuine concern that she held for him. Something inside of him was now telling him to go for it.  
  
"Well, I..." Sage started out, but was silenced as another female voice piped up.  
  
"Aw, aren't the two of you cute."   
  
Raye and Sage's heads snapped to look at the source of the words. Sage had a look of confusion on his face as he looked at the creature in front of him, although he knew it could only mean trouble, and Raye's face transformed into a look of fear. The last time she faced the female creature in front of her, she had been seriously hurt, emotionally and physically.   
  
Her breathing becoming ragged, Raye said, "Come on, Sage, we have to get out of here." Raye started to run, pushing Sage along with her, but the monster only laughed.   
  
"Now, why would you want to run from the great Rubellite? I promise you, your death will be quick. Consider yourself lucky. With the amount of time it took to track you down, girl, you ought to have a slow and painful death." Sage stopped and turned to Raye.   
  
"Why is she looking for you, Raye?" The fuchsia-colored monster laughed and looked at Sage.   
  
"You mean you don't know?" Rubellite asked. Sage's brow furrowed.  
  
"Know what?"  
  
"About your little girlfriend's other identity." Raye drew in a sharp breath.  
  
"No, don't tell him."  
  
"Why, aren't you going to tell him? He deserves to know." Rubellite smiled slyly, and idea forming in her head.   
  
"Hey, instead of telling him, why not show him?"   
  
In order to get Raye to transform, Rubellite shot an energy beam at Raye, but Raye was too shaken up to do anything.   
  
Seeing that Raye was about to be hit, Sage called out, "Armor of Halo!" and dove in front of Raye in his sub-armor, shielding her from the energy beam. It barely hurt him and only moved him back a few steps.   
  
"Don't hurt her," Sage growled, his eyes narrowing.   
  
"Oh, I'm so scared now," Rubellite, pretending to be scared, "A little boy and his little armor are going to hurt me."   
  
"Shut up!" Sage yelled before calling out his transformation line.   
  
"Armor of Halo, DAO CHI!" Once he was fully armored, he turned around to look at Raye.  
  
"Are you all right?" he asked, genuinely concerned.  
  
"Sage..." she said, trailing off; she didn't know what to say. Sage took her lack of words as awe and disbelief.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll explain everything afterwards." He turned back to face Rubellite, assuming a fighting position.  
  
"So, it seems you want to fight. Well, I'll give you a fight, boy and I'll guarantee it's one you won't win." Sage raised his sword, gripping it with both hands, as he charged Rubellite. The two of them fought, Sage giving it his all while Rubellite looked for the world like she was totally unaffected.   
  
Raye watched in silence and horror as Rubellite continued to block every one of Sage's moves, throwing back moves that were infinitely stronger than anything Sage had to deliver. Rubellite drew her hand into a fist and punched Sage, throwing her power into the punch. It sent Sage flying through the air and he landed on the ground, sliding back several feet.   
"Sage!" Raye yelled as she sprung into action. Kneeling besides him, she removed his helmet and looked down at him.   
  
"Are you ok, Sage?" Sage nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired and my pride's a little wounded." Raye felt the anger boiling up inside of her.  
  
"Don't worry, Sage. I'll get her for you. She won't hurt anybody close to me ever again." Sage intended to ask Raye how she was going to fight, but never had the chance to before Raye stood up and faced Rubellite, fixing on the monster her most fiery gaze.   
  
"Rubellite, you won't live to see another day."  
  
"Oh really. And are you going to fight me now?"  
  
"Yes, I am. But this time, I'm much stronger. You don't stand a chance."  
  
"No, that's were you have it all wrong, dear," Rubellite said, "You're the one who doesn't stand a chance."  
  
"We'll see about that," Raye said, taking out her transformation pen and holding up above her head. "MARS STAR POWER!"   
  
Sage gasped as he saw Raye standing there as Sailor Mars. Sage couldn't have been more surprised if he had been announced king of the Universe. Raye is Sailor Mars? Well, if she's Sailor Mars, then her friends are the Sailor Scouts. Sage's eyes lit up with understanding and knowledge. My god, why didn't I see it before? Sage thought. He watched, still in complete shock, as Raye attacked Rubellite.   
  
"MARS CELETIAL FIRE SURROUND!"   
  
Rings of fire, backed up by Raye's pure power, hurled their way for Rubellite, who attacked back with such ferocity that Sage thought Raye would buckle under the force of Rubellite's attack. To Sage's surprise, Raye held her own and even increased the amount of power that was being sent at Rubellite. But, Sage knew from experience that high power levels couldn't be maintained for a long period of time.   
  
Sage, who was enraged at the monster standing before Raye, got up to help Raye in her fight. Just before Sage was going to stand by Raye's side, however, a bright ball of reddish light engulfed Raye. It disappeared in an instant and Sage's breath caught in his throat as he looked at Raye again and he was blessed with a vision.   
  
Raye was standing there, wearing her Princess dress, a dress that Sage quickly recognized as the dress the girl he met at the Winter Ball was wearing. Raye, Sailor Mars, and that girl are all the same person? What an idiot I was not to notice the resemblance, Sage thought. Shaking his head to clear all thoughts of Raye's multiple identities, he once again moved to stand beside her and lend her his support and power in this fight.   
  
Raye sensed more than saw Sage standing by her side and smiled gratefully as Sage called out his attack.   
  
"THUNDERBOLT CUT!" Streams of lightning plus Sage's own power mixed together and blended with Raye's power, creating a magnificent display and an overwhelming force that made Rubellite doubt her ability to survive. No, I will win out over these two. They will not defeat me! Rubellite thought as she upped the power level of her own attack.   
  
Raye and Sage also poured more power into their own attacks, trying to best Rubellite and destroy her. This was a battle to the finish and only one side would walk away alive. Raye had reached her limit; she couldn't possibly give up any more power without destroying herself in the process. She felt Sage beside her and knew that he had more to give, which he didn't without being told to.   
  
Raye's other sense felt something very weird happening beside her and when she turned to see what it was, she found that Sage was glowing a light green color, which got brighter and brighter as his power level went up. Finally, with a brief, bright flash of light, Sage's Ronin armor disappeared, leaving him in a completely different outfit, an outfit that made Raye freeze in recognition.   
  
His outfit was one that deeply resembled Prince Darien's from the Silver Millennium. In fact, it was exactly the same in every aspect except for its color. Instead of black, the main color was a deep, deep green color with the lining of his cape a shade of green that, while still dark, was several shades lighter than that of his chest armor. Raye realized, with happiness, that he was her lover from the Silver Millennium.   
  
At the moment, Sage looked all for the world like he was wrapped up in his own little world and when he snapped out of it a few moments after his new transformation, he looked over at Raye and smiled. He knew everything; he remembered his past during the Silver Millennium. His eyes met Raye's and a million thoughts were communicated with just one glance. Both of them turning back to Rubellite, they prepared to deliver the final blow.   
  
Rubellite suddenly found herself on the losing side. She tried to hold herself up against the power the two experienced warriors were throwing at her, but she found that she just couldn't find enough power to match. With a scream, Rubellite dissolved. Raye and Sage cut off their power and tried to calm down. Raye closed her eyes and tried to calm down the rampaging emotions inside of her. Sage and her lover from the Silver Millennium were the same person; she didn't have to choose between the two of them.   
  
Raye felt a shiver go up her spine as she felt Sage's arms encircle her waist from behind and his lips brush up against her neck. She smiled lightly as Sage created a trail of kisses that started at the crook of her neck, along her jawbone, and, eventually, to right next to her lips. Raye, unable to take it any longer, turned in Sage's arms, looking up at him.   
  
Their eyes met for a moment before he lowered his lips to hers, capturing them in a passionate kiss. Had anyone happened upon them, the first thought that would enter into his or her head would be that the kissing couple were very much in love with each other and they couldn't be closer to the truth.   
  
Sage pulled away from lips and worked his way to her ear, where he whispered, "I love you," before nibbling on her earlobe.   
  
"I love you too," Raye whispered back, her soul jumping for joy, before she kissed Sage again. The two lovers had been reunited after 1000 years and, to them, nothing mattered more than each other.  



	22. A Year Abroad Chapter 21

Ami's eyes roved over the words on the old pages, the very large and almost ancient book resting in her hand, the spine of the book lying flat in the palm of her hand. She was reading a very old printing of a very classic story, a tale about princes and princesses and dragons and magic.   
  
Ami smiled contently; she rarely read anything that ventured out of the intellectual realm and for the first time in a long time, she was actually enjoying herself. Ami sighed as the hero of the story met the heroine for the first time. Ami usually wasn't drawn into stories of traditional romance, but her experiences with Rowen had changed what she was interested in. In some ways, Ami wanted to have a storybook romance; she wanted to fall in love, be swept off her feet and live happily ever after. But, she knew that it wasn't going to happen perfectly; she knew there would be bumps along the path to true love.   
  
Ami gently set the book down in her lap and lifted her head, allowing herself to look around at the numerous shelves of books that littered the antique and rare bookstore. She loved this place. Not only was it a great store where she could get books that she couldn't find anywhere else, but it was a place that she could sit and read in this chair, that was rarely used, that was placed in the front corner of the store. Plus, it was one of the places that Rowen had shown her when he first showed her the ropes of Toyama and places that only the two of them would be interested in...well, out of their group of friends anyway.  
  
The small ringing of the bell that was placed above door of the bookstore indicated the entrance of a customer. Ami, who was well hidden from the view of the new customer, smiled as she saw Rowen enter the establishment. Her smile quickly faded to a frown when she saw the look on his face. He looked really tired and depressed, like a close friend or family member had died.   
  
Ami noticed that he didn't seem to be paying that much attention to his surroundings. Otherwise, he would have noticed that I was here. I wonder what's wrong with him? He looks so down. Maybe it has something to do with Friday afternoon. He looked really depressed then, too. I'll just have to catch up with him after he leaves the store, Ami thought, drawing up a plan inside her head.  
  
Ami watched Rowen until he moved into one of the many rows of bookshelves and she lost sight of him. Her eyes lingered on the spot where she last saw him for a couple of moments before she resumed reading her book again.  
  
It was quite some time, maybe an hour or so, before out of the corner of her eye, Ami spotted Rowen's head of blue hair. She lifted her head out of her book and watched him leave the store, the ringing of the bell signaling his departure. Ami closed the book she was reading and set it down on the small end table that rested near her chair before standing up and rushing out of the shop.   
  
Ami walked at a fast pace in order to catch up with Rowen and once she was a few yards behind him, she called out his name.  
  
"Hey, Rowen!" she said. Rowen's body went frigid as he turned around to face the girl who he thought loved him.   
  
Ami's eyebrows knit together as she caught the lost look in his eyes. Her face taking on a look of confusion and sympathy, she walked over to him and placed her hand on his arm.  
  
"Rowen, are you ok?" Rowen jerked his arm out from underneath her touch.  
  
"Don't touch me," he commanded forcefully, taking a couple of steps away from her. Ami felt like the wind had been knocked out of her at Rowen's rejection of her help.  
  
"Rowen, please tell me what's wrong. Is it something I did?" she pleaded. Rowen seemed to struggle inside himself for the next words to tell Ami before he exploded.  
  
"Yes, you did something wrong," he spat out, advancing towards her and grabbing her by the arms.  
  
"Rowen, let go of me. You're hurting me," Ami cried out as his grip tightened.  
  
"Do you want to know what you did?" Rowen asked and Ami shook her head, a few tears escaping from her eyes; she had never been so scared of Rowen before and she was afraid he was going to hurt her.  
  
"Well too bad, you're going to hear it anyway." Rowen paused before continuing. "You took my heart and trampled over it. You made me fall in love with you with your intelligence, your humor, your kindness, and your beauty. You made me want to be with you all the time, to keep you all for myself, to protect you so that no one would harm you. You made me trust you, tell you things that I've never told anyone. You made me give you my heart. And what do you do with it? You rip it out and walk all over it. You led me on. You pretended to care for me when in fact, you had someone in your life."   
  
Ami couldn't believe Rowen's words; he was in love with her?  
  
"Rowen, I..."  
  
"Don't try to deny it, Ami. I saw you with your boyfriend on Friday night, you two-timing bitch!"   
  
Ami's blood started to boil. She wasn't going to sit by and let him insult her like that; she loved him, but she still had her pride. Fueling her strength with her power, Ami caught hold of Rowen's wrists, which were still holding her arms, and pried his hands off of her arms. She knew that she held the power to break both of his wrists, but she was too nice and too in love with him to do that. So, she settled for a powerful slap in the face.   
  
Rowen was shocked at the amount of strength that Ami had for a woman her size. He raised a hand to his cheek to check for blood. He found none, but he knew he was going to have a hand-shaped welt later on; maybe he'd have Sage heal it.   
  
After checking his face blood, he looked back at Ami and wondered how the tables switched so quickly. Only moments earlier, it had been Rowen who was looking down at Ami with fury in his eyes; now she was looking at him like she wanted to kill him.  
  
"You bastard!" she cried out, "How dare you accuse me of things that you have no proof about? Don't you think if I had a boyfriend, I would tell you about it? Don't you think I care about you enough to let you know about my life? I never led you on. My affections for you are genuine. It's not some ploy to break your heart, you fool. I never pretended to care for you; I honestly do care for you. And if you're too blind to see how much I care for you, then you have no right accepting my love for you." Ami was breathless and near tears by the end of her tirade and Rowen couldn't move. He felt like he had been punched in the stomach.   
  
"You...love me?" he asked, his voice no higher than a whisper.  
  
"Yes, you idiot, I do. I love you. Are you happy with that? Does it make you happy that this is how you got it out of me?"  
  
"Ami, I'm..."  
  
"You're what, Rowen?" Ami asked none too gently.   
  
Rowen was working his way towards an apology when someone, or rather something, interrupted them. Suddenly, and without a warning, Serpentine arrived in a sea green blur, grabbing Ami by the neck and forcing her up against the brick wall of a building.   
  
"Ha, finally, I found you," Serpentine growled, her hair falling over one eye and masking half of her malicious grin, "You won't get away from me and I won't let you hurt me like the last time we fought." Serpentine laughed cruelly and tightened her hold on Ami's neck, cutting off her air supply.   
  
"You won't get a chance to fight me. And I know I have the right girl. I can feel your power radiating off of you."   
  
Ami clawed at Serpentine's hands, trying to loosen the female creature's hold on her neck, but to no avail. In fact, it seemed that her hold only grew tighter. Once it registered in Rowen's mind what was happening, he immediately became enraged.  
  
"Hey, let her go!" Rowen yelled. Serpentine calmly turned her head and gave Rowen a satisfied smirk. Her ignoring him only served to made him more angry and he decided that he needed to do something about it. Taking his kanji ball out of his jacket pocket, he called upon his sub-armor.  
  
"Alright, now you're going to get it," Rowen exclaimed before calling out his transformation line.   
  
"ARMOR OF STRATA! DAO INOCHI!"   
  
Within seconds, Rowen's Strata armor had covered his body and his bow was in his hand, ready to fire. With a yell, he charged Serpentine, who wasn't prepared for the attack, and knocked her to the ground, freeing Ami from her grasp. He caught Ami before she hit the ground and made sure her unconscious form was breathing before he faced Serpentine.   
  
"Why don't you fight someone who can actually fight back?" Rowen sneered. Serpentine looked at Rowen critically with an intelligence that Rowen had never really seen in an evil such as Serpentine. Serpentine seemed to make up her mind.  
  
"Alright. I will fight you. But I'm warning you, you won't last very long against me, you weakling," Serpentine boasted.   
  
"Just try me," Rowen challenged. Serpentine gave a small laugh.  
  
"It's your funeral," she murmured before attacking Rowen viciously.   
  
As the battle ensued, Serpentine was delivering more hits than taking them; Rowen wondered why he even challenged her in the first place. It was because you wanted to protect Ami, that's why, he said to himself as he threw up an arm to block one of Serpentine's powerful blows. Using her leg, Serpentine brought it up to deliver a sharp kick to Rowen's mid-section. Rowen cried out with pain and went down, hitting the pavement hard.   
  
Serpentine walked over to him and looked down at her challenger.  
  
"Looks like you lose," she said sweetly. Rowen, who was out of breath and essentially out of fight, closed his eyes and gave up, knowing that he lacked the strength to kill Serpentine.  
  
Ami, who had woken up from unconsciousness only moments before, saw Serpentine standing over a fallen Rowen, who was in his armor. Ami gasped. Oh no, don't tell me he tried to fight her. Why would he do that? Ami asked herself as she struggled to rise to her feet. Once she was standing steadily on her feet, she called out to Serpentine.  
  
"Hey, leave him alone. You don't want him. You want me," Ami said. Serpentine turned to face Ami with a smirk on her face.  
  
"Ah, so Sleeping Beauty wakes up. Without a kiss from her prince too. Well, are you ready to fight me?" Ami nodded, feeling her strength returning quickly.   
  
Rowen struggled to rise to a sitting position as he watched Ami challenge Serpentine. What is she doing? Rowen thought. He watched as Ami pulled out her transformation pen and his eyes widened. Hey, isn't that... Rowen never got a chance to finish his thought. Ami raised the pen into the air and shouted out her transformation line.  
  
"MERCURY STAR POWER!" With a flash of bright blue light, Ami stood as Sailor Mercury and she was ready to fight Serpentine and win. I knew it! I knew there was a connection between Ami and her friends and the Sailor Scouts. I was right! But, I didn't know that they were the same people, Rowen thought, amazed at the whole situation.  
  
"Hmm, now this is more like it. Your boy over there wasn't much of a challenge and I was hoping for someone stronger."  
  
"Well, you're going to get it," Ami said. Focusing her power, Ami used her attack against Serpentine.  
  
"SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!" A rush of ice water, backed up by Ami's pure power, flew for Serpentine, who countered with her own attack of power. The two attacks met, causing an explosion of power and energy, its shockwave resonating out and around the warriors.   
  
Once the bright light from the explosion had faded, Rowen could see Serpentine and Ami facing each other, streams of pure power coming out of their hands and racing for the other. Rowen could tell that Ami was giving it her all, but Serpentine looked like she had barely uncovered the tip of the iceberg.   
  
"I will get you for what you did to me!" Ami yelled as she upped the amount of power on her attack.   
  
Eventually, the amount of power that Ami was using was too much for her Scout form to handle and, with a suddenly flash of blinding blue light, Ami's Scout uniform disappeared and she reappeared in a long blue dress, her princess dress from the Silver Millennium. Rowen couldn't get more amazed. They're all the same person? Ami, Sailor Mercury, and that girl from the Winter Ball? Why didn't I see it before? I'm so stupid, Rowen chided himself as he watched the battle.   
  
Ami's voice drew him out of his thoughts.  
  
"Rowen, please help me. I can't do this by myself," she pleaded. Rowen nodded and found the strength to rise to his feet. Cleverly dodging the stray energy bolts that unraveled themselves from the main energy streams, Rowen stood next to Ami, prepared to help her defeat Serpentine. Drawing out an arrow from his quiver, he concentrated its power on its tip.   
  
"ARROW SHOCKWAVE!" Rowen cried out as he placed the arrow in the bow and released it, sending the energy along with it towards Serpentine. He continued to pour energy into the arrow, which met resistance from Serpentine's attack.   
  
Ami could feel Rowen's power increasing as he struggled to help Ami fight against Serpentine and she was glad he was there with her. With him, we might actually beat her, Ami thought. Serpentine screamed in rage.  
  
"No! I won't let you beat me. You are nothing compared to me!" Serpentine gave more power up for the attack, hoping to gain an edge over the two. Ami couldn't increase her power anymore than she had, but Rowen could, so he did in order to keep up with Serpentine. Like Ami, however, the amount of power that he was using was too much for his Ronin armor to handle.   
  
Slowly, Rowen's body started pulsing with a deep blue light, which grew in intensity until it covered his body completely, temporarily blinding both Ami and Serpentine. When the light faded and it was safe to look again, Rowen was standing there, still using his energy to attack Serpentine, but in a different outfit.   
  
Instead of his dark blue Ronin armor, he was standing there wearing armor that was much like Prince Darien's, but slightly different. The lining of his cape was a dark midnight blue, so dark and so deep that it was almost black. But, placed next to the black outer layer of the cape, one could tell that the lining wasn't really black. His chest armor was also deep midnight blue that seemed to hypnotize, like one could look at it and think they were seeing the night sky on a moonless night.   
  
Ami gasped and managed to keep her attack going as she looked at Rowen. It's him! He's not dead after all! And it's Rowen. He's my soulmate from the Silver Millennium! Ami thought happily. She looked at Rowen's eyes and caught the faraway look in them; she knew he was remembering. Within seconds, the faraway look vanished was replaced by a more knowledgeable and mature look.   
  
Rowen turned his head to lock eyes with Ami, emotions and thoughts passed at a million miles a second. With a nod from each of them, they sent off one more powerful blast of power at Serpentine. The momentary sharp increase in the attack was enough to overwhelm Serpentine and she had no choice but to drop her attack. Once she did, she was unwillingly assaulted by the power of Ami and Rowen's attack and with a scream, Serpentine left the mortal world.   
Assured that Serpentine was gone, Ami and Rowen cut off the power. Ami, who was still exhausted from her first assault from Serpentine, felt her knees grow weak before they buckled. She collapsed and was immediately caught by Rowen before she could hit the ground.  
  
"Whoa there," Rowen said as his arms encircled her, "You know this is the second time I've caught you today." He helped her upright, keeping one arm around her waist so that she wouldn't fall over again.   
  
Ami noticed his closeness and immediately became a little nervous; she had never been so physically close to him before, not even when they were dancing at the Winter Ball.  
  
"Rowen, I..." Ami started, but was cut off by Rowen's lips on hers, catching them in a passionate kiss that showed no signs of stopping. They kissed for what seemed like forever until Rowen pulled away.  
  
"I'm sorry," he muttered, "I'm so sorry."  
  
"Sorry for what?" Ami asked, a little light-headed from the kiss. Rowen smiled and cupped her cheek with one hand.  
  
"For yelling at you earlier about Friday, about you leading me on. I should have known better. Hey, speaking about Friday, who was that guy?" Ami smiled.  
  
"You should know, Rowen, you've heard of him. That was Greg. I mean, yes, he is my ex-boyfriend, but Greg and I make much better friends than boyfriend and girlfriend. Besides, he and his girlfriend are perfect for each other. Just like you and me." Rowen smiled as he hugged Ami closer to him. Tipping up her chin with one finger, he whispered,   
"I love you, Ami." Ami smiled.  
  
"I love you too, Rowen," she whispered as well before their lips met for a second time.  



	23. A Year Abroad Chapter 22

Serene scuffed the ground with her toe as her, Ryo, and Mia sat around a small table in front of a small café.   
  
"Come on, Serena, cheer up," Mia said, "I'm sure everything will work out ok."  
  
"I know everything will work out ok, but I still worry, you know? Like, if something goes wrong and they never get the misunderstandings cleared up. Then everything will be ruined."  
  
"I agree with Mia. This whole thing is just going to have to happen naturally and by itself, Serena," Ryo said comfortingly, yet sternly. Serena gave a small smile.  
  
"I guess you two are right," Serena said, thinking about the Ronin Warriors' history with the Sailor Scouts during the Silver Millennium.  
  
"There you go, think positively," Mia said reassuringly and cheerfully.  
  
"Thanks Mia," Serena said, her tone of voice sincere. Mia smiled back and was about to respond when the screams of the people around them caught their attention.   
  
As people fled, Axinite smiled satisfactorily; she still had it in her and it pleased her to no end. Her smugness wore off as she remembered her reason for even visiting the pitiful mortal dimension. Axinite's eyes narrowed as she scanned the area for her target and she smiled again, though this time her smile was smaller, as she spotted Serena.  
  
"Well, there you are," Axinite hissed, "I've been looking for you." Serena's eyes narrowed as well and she assumed a defensive fighting stance.  
  
"What are you doing back here? I mean, after what we did to you, why would you come back?" Serena threatened, trying to scare Axinite. It didn't work; Axinite was still staring at Serena with the same maleficent smile.  
  
"Oh, I'm much stronger than I was before." Axinite spotted Mia and Ryo behind Serena and she laughed slightly.  
  
"Let's get rid of any bystanders, shall we?" Axinite said before pointing her finger at Mia and letting loose a small blast of energy. It hit Mia, causing her to scream and fall to the ground before passing out from the pain.   
  
Ryo stared in shock at what Axinite had just done. He rushed over to Mia to assess the damage and found that other than a head wound, Mia was alive and breathing, but her breathing was shallow. Ryo was enraged. Who was this woman, thinking that she could walk right into his life and hurt, almost mortally wound, his girlfriend and the love of his life? If she thinks that she can get away with what she did, then she is seriously mistaken, Ryo thought viciously before moving to stand in front of Serena.   
  
"You're going to pay for what you did, lady. I don't know who you are, but you're going to get it," Ryo spat out. Axinite laughed.  
  
"And who do you think you are challenging me? You don't stand a chance against me," Axinite said, "But, I think I'll humor you. Give me all you've got, little man." Axinite was taunting Ryo; he knew it and it enraged him even more. Pulling out his kanji ball, Ryo transformed into his sub-armor. When Serena saw the red and white sub-armor, she knew what he was trying to do.  
  
"No, Ryo, don't do it," Serena cried out, "You don't know what you're going up against. She'll beat you."  
  
"Serena," Ryo said, "You don't know what you're talking about. Just stay out of it." Ryo obviously has no clue as to who I am, does he? Serena thought to herself as Ryo transformed into his armor.  
  
"Armor of Wildfire! DAO GI!" Seconds later, Ryo stood there in his Wildfire armor, ready to fight Axinite. Axinite looked mildly amused.   
  
"Is that all you've got for me? God, this isn't going to be much of a fight."  
  
"Don't judge a book by its cover," Ryo growled as he lunged for Axinite, both swords ready to strike. Axinite surrounded herself with an energy shield just in time for Ryo's swords to hit it. She giggled slightly at Ryo's annoyed look.  
  
"Oh, don't give me that look. It's not my fault I'm stronger than you," Axinite said with feinted sweetness before pushing her power outward, causing Ryo to fly through the air, landing several feet away in a pile of armor and weapons. Axinite laughed triumphantly.  
  
"Oh, that was too easy. Is anybody going to fight me for real?" she called out. Serena stepped forward.  
  
"Yeah, I am!" Serena declared as she pulled out her locket. Ryo stared at Serena in confusion. What is she doing? Ryo thought. He could only stare as Serena lifted her locket into the air.   
  
"MOON CRYSTAL POWER!" Serena shouted out, immediately becoming surrounded by light, ribbons, and feathers.   
  
When everything faded, she stood there not as Serena, but as Sailor Moon, champion of justice. And she was ready to kick some butt.   
  
"Ooh," Axinite said, "Finally a challenge." She smirked, then growled, "I've been waiting for this."  
  
"And I've been waiting to kill you," Serena challenged back. The two looked at each other, trying to stare each other down, like a game of chicken...except this game of chicken was much more serious.   
  
Without warning, Axinite let out a furious attack, giving Serena almost no way of blocking. But Serena managed to come up with an attack of her own, using the power of the crystal to deflect Axinite's attack. The two battled furiously, each of them pushing up their power levels until it was almost too much to handle.   
  
Ryo, in the meantime, was astounded. Why hadn't he seen the connection between Serena and Sailor Moon earlier? Ryo felt like hitting his head against a brick wall for being so stupid. But, the surprises still weren't finished.   
  
Serena was reaching her power limit for her Sailor Moon form. She couldn't maintain that form much longer. Soon enough, her power level reached high enough that it was too much for her Sailor Moon form to handle. With a flash, Serena's Sailor Moon outfit disappeared, turning into her Neo-Queen Serenity dress, the dress of the girl he saw on the night of the Winter Ball. Ryo didn't think he could be shocked anymore. Serena's third identity had been revealed and it was like she was some kind of otherworldly being.   
  
Serena, while Ryo was staring at her in shock, continued to raise her power level, trying to match Axinite in the amount of power until it felt like she couldn't give anymore. Ryo looked at Serena and noticed the fatigue that was evident on her face. She's wearing herself out. She can't give much more. I have to help her, Ryo thought determinedly as he pushed himself off the ground and hurried to help Serena defeat Axinite.   
  
Ryo stood by Serena's side, powered himself up, and called out, "FLARE UP NOW!" Bright red flames combined with Ryo's pure power mixed with Serena's attack and hurled towards Axinite. Axinite's face contorted into a look of annoyance, one similar to the one Ryo wore only minutes before.   
  
Ryo, seeing the look on Axinite's face, said, "Oh, don't give us that look. It's not our fault that we might be stronger than you." Ryo was gloating inside at Axinite's furious look.  
  
"Ooh, how dare you!" she screamed as she upped the power level of her attack, causing Ryo to do the same. Serena was giving all she had; it was up to Ryo to beat whatever Axinite threw at them.   
  
Ryo could feel himself pushing himself to the limits. He felt like he was going to explode at the amount of power that was raging through him. But, he knew that he had to give more if he wanted to survive. With a fierce yell, Ryo gave more power, feeling himself breaking.   
Serena looked over right at the moment that a bright red light surrounded Ryo, obscuring him from view. She shielded her eyes from the light, making sure that she could still keep up the attack at the same time. Serena knew what was happening and when the light faded, she was not surprised at what she saw.   
  
Instead of the bright red armor that Ryo wore as a Ronin Warrior, he wore the regal crimson armor that he wore as a prince. The armor was exactly like Darien's except for the crimson color and the lining of his cape was a darker red than Darien's. The total effect was intimidating because of the ferociousness of the crimson color that made up Ryo's armor.   
  
Serena looked at Ryo's face to see the faraway, dazed look in his eyes. She knew that he was regaining memories of his life during the Silver Millennium and she was happy. There was so much that she wanted to tell him. Within moments, the dazed look was gone and Ryo was back, fully focused and more determined than every to kill Axinite.  
  
"Come on cousin," Ryo said, "Let's get her." Serena gave a half smile.  
  
"My words exactly, Ryo." Together, Ryo and Serena gave one last push with their power, which broke through Axinite's attack.   
  
Axinite hurried to bring up her defenses, but it was too late for that; Serena and Ryo's combined power was just too strong for her to handle. The attack engulfed her and, with a scream, Axinite dissolved along with it, the last of the Quartz sisters dying a horrible death.   
  
Once Ryo and Serena felt no resistance from the other end of the battlefield, they dropped their attacks and immediately threw their arms around each other in a joyous hug.   
  
"I'm so glad to have you back," Serena said after they pulled away from each other. Ryo looked at her questioningly.  
  
"How long have you known that I was your cousin and that I was a Ronin Warrior?" Serena looked deep in thought as she thought about the answer to that question.  
  
"Oh," Serena said slowly, "For about two years. I never expected to find you guys so soon, either. It was all rather shocking, if you ask me." Ryo nodded before suddenly remembering Mia.  
  
"Oh God, Mia!" he exclaimed as he rushed towards his girlfriend and, as he just found out, soulmate. He knelt down on the ground beside her unconscious form and Serena followed, kneeling gently on the other side of Mia.  
  
"Is there any way you can help her, Serena?" Ryo asked desperately. Serena looked down at Mia for a second before looking up at Ryo and nodding.  
  
"Yes, I can help her by using the Silver Crystal. I can even allow her to regain her memories back of the Silver Millennium. Would you like me to do that, Ryo?" Serena asked.   
  
"Yeah," Ryo said after thinking about it for a moment, "I would like her to know what our relationship was like 1000 years ago." Serena nodded.  
  
"Well, stand back and give me some room to work," Serena said as she pulled out the Silver Crystal, asking it to give her just a little more power. The crystal complied and Serena focused the energy on Mia, healing her wounds and unraveling her mind to allow the memories to come to the surface.   
  
A few seconds later, it was over; Mia was healed and she had her memories back and all she had to do was wake up. Serena slumped her shoulders in exhaustion as she stopped the flow of power from the Silver Crystal and detransformed back into her normal self, Ryo following her lead.  
  
"Well, all we have to do is wait for her to wake up," Serena said.   
  
As if on cue, Mia opened her eyes, now filled with a new understanding, and looked up to see Serena and Ryo looking down at her with concern and joy in her eyes. She smiled up at them; two cousins who had finally found each other. Slowly, with help from Ryo, Mia sat up and the moment she did, she launched herself into Ryo's arms and kissed him passionately. Serena smiled as she watched; they were just too cute together. Once Mia pulled away, leaving Ryo in a daze, Ryo spoke.  
  
"What was that for?" Ryo asked. Mia simply smiled.  
  
"I was only making up for lost time."  



	24. A Year Abroad Chapter 23 (end)

"Aren't they ready yet?" Kento growled with frustration as he and the other guys, including Darien, stood at the foot of the staircase at the girls' house. The guys were all dressed to the nines, completely decked out in black tuxedos. It was the night of the Junior Prom and the guys were all taking out their girlfriends.  
  
"Calm down Kento," Sage said slowly and with patience, "Give them a little time to get ready. We have a while to go until we have to be at the hotel where prom is at."  
  
"Yeah," Rowen agreed, "And the longer they spend getting ready, the better they look." Cye shot Rowen a look.  
  
"It wouldn't really matter how they looked, would it Rowen? I mean, you love Ami for who she is, not for what she looks like." Rowen nodded.  
  
"And you love Mina for the same reason, Cye. Though I know you like seeing her all dressed up and beautified." Cye blushed and nodded.  
  
"Guilty as charged."  
  
"Shh," Ryo said harshly, "I think I hear footsteps heading towards the stairs." Ryo's hearing was right. The girls were ready to come downstairs.  
  
"Ok you guys, are you going to tell them when they get downstairs about next year?" Darien asked, knowing about the guys' plans to do their Senior year out in Tokyo. All of them nodded and Darien, satisfied with their answer, turned his focus back onto the staircase.   
  
The first person to walk down the stairs was Mia, who was dressed in a shimmering white, off the shoulder dress that went down to her ankles and had a slit on the left side up to her mid-thigh; her hair was done elegantly into a mass of curls that were piled on top of her head with a few curls framing her face. Ryo thought his heart was going to pound its way out of his chest.   
  
Mia made her way towards him, her head held high, and she was smiling widely by the time she stood in front of him.  
  
"So, what do you think?" she asked, turning for him. Ryo spluttered for a few seconds before finding on word to say.  
  
"Wow." Mia giggled; it wasn't the most articulate compliment, but it said a lot. She leaned over and kissed him gently.  
  
"Thanks," she said, "I knew you'd like it."   
  
The next person to come down the stairs was Lita, who was wearing an ankle-length black dress that had spaghetti straps that criss-crossed over her back, leaving most of her back bare. Her hair was simply left down and she was wearing little makeup.   
  
Ami came next, dressed simply in a form-fitting, baby blue gown that was tea length (5 in. above the ankle). Behind one ear was a white rose bud and the only makeup she wore was lip gloss.   
  
After Ami came Raye who was dressed elegantly in a strapless lavender gown with matching shoes and gloves. Her hair was pulled up into a French twist with wisps of hair framing her face.   
  
Then came Mina, wearing a red halter-top dress. It was ankle-length and had mid-thigh slits on both sides of the skirt. Her hair was half up in a French braid and the rest, trapped underneath the braid, was loose.   
  
Lastly, came Serena, who was dressed in a light pink dress that had a single strap holding up that went over her right shoulder, leaving the other shoulder completely bare. Half of her hair was pulled up into a bun on top of her head and the rest of her long hair floated down to the ground, reaching her ankles, the same length as her dress. Needless to say, the guys were all very impressed and were practically speechless as the girls came down the stairs.   
  
"So," Serena said after giving Darien a lengthy kiss, "Are we ready to go?"  
  
"Yeah, one moment," Ryo said, nudging Sage, who was standing next to him, "I think the guys have something to tell the girls first before we leave, don't you guys?"   
  
Ryo and Darien looked at the other guys with expedient looks on their faces. The four guys looked extremely nervous as they all silently debated who would go first. Luckily, the girls chose for them.  
  
"What is it that you have to tell us, Cye?" Mina asked as she looked at him with a wide-eyed look. Cye knew he was powerless then; he couldn't keep anything from Mina when she gave him that look.  
  
"Well," Cye said, "We have a surprise for you."  
  
"Yeah," Sage said, "We know how you're going back to Tokyo for your senior year of high school next year, which means you won't be here with us."  
  
"But," Kento said, "We've been talking to some people who are pretty high up about a lot of things."  
  
"And it turns out," Rowen said with a smile, pausing before continuing, "That we've been able to work it out so that we can go to school with you next year in Tokyo." The girls, except for Serena, were shocked. How had they managed to do it? Raye, unexpectedly, threw her arms around Sage in a hug.  
  
"Do you mean it?" she asked. Sage smiled and leaned over to give Raye a kiss.  
  
"Absolutely," Sage said, "This is something I would never lie about."   
  
Serena and Darien watched as the happy couples celebrated over not being separated for the next year. Darien put his arms around Serena and she turned in his arms, stood on her toes, and give him a quick kiss.  
  
"I love you," she whispered. Darien gave her a loving kiss on her forehead.  
  
"I love you too, my princess."   
  
THE END  



End file.
